Trinh ultimately aspires to spearhead innovative research initiatives that advance the boundaries of technology while prioritizing social responsibility and sustainability.

Trinh Huynh is passionate about leveraging robotics technology to address pressing societal challenges. In the wake of her mother’s recovery from a stroke, Trinh became motivated to contribute to new technology that could enrich lives and enhance mobility in similar circumstances. Then, as a first responder during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trinh had a unique opportunity to observe the role telerobots played in delivering patient care as well as protecting healthcare workers. These experiences fueled her interest in robotics and desire to pursue advanced studies. Just a few years after immigrating independently from Vietnam to the United States, Trinh made the significant leap from hospitality to electrical engineering.

Trinh earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and is now furthering her studies at U-M, where she has gained research experience in the Cortical Neural Prosthetics Lab and the EMBiR Lab. Both of these opportunities have enabled Trinh to contribute to projects with real-world applications in healthcare and biomechanics. Currently, Trinh is also completing a co-op with Rivian Automotive, an electric car company renowned for its commitment to sustainability in every aspect of its design. Trinh ultimately aspires to spearhead innovative research initiatives that advance the boundaries of technology while prioritizing social responsibility and sustainability. Trinh’s professor remarks that she is “self-motivated, dedicated, and fearless … when she decides to solve a problem.”

She is also a dedicated mentor, whether teaching high school students basic programming or inspiring young girls to explore clean energy sources through TinkerCAD. Already, Trinh is known for her “strong record of self-motivated academic pursuit and service to others.”

CEW+ commends Trinh’s tenacity and dedication and names her the Peter and Zdravka Zdravkovski Scholar.