On the morning of May 4, 2026, at BVU Campus 2, an international cooperation program featuring Professor Robert Winston Taylor from Montclair State University was officially launched. The Professor will participate in research and training activities at BVU for a duration of one month.
The delegation welcoming Professor Robert Winston Taylor included the following BVU representatives:
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Hoang – Rector;
- Dr. Pham Hai Long – Vice Director in charge of the Postgraduate Training Institute;
- PhD Candidate, M.A. Vu Hai Nam – Vice Director of the Institute of International Training and Cooperation;
- M.A. Tran Phan Linh – Head of the Human Resources & Administration Department.
Ba Ria – Vung Tau University (BVU) is honored to host Professor Robert Winston Taylor as a visiting lecturer. He is a renowned American scholar in the fields of AI, Sustainable Development Planning, and Geoeconomics.
Notably, he was nominated by the President of the United States for the teaching program at Fulbright University in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. Montclair State University, where the Professor serves, is a prestigious institution in the New York City area, ranked among the top 100 universities globally and the top 30 public universities in the U.S.
Strategic Objectives
During the working session between Professor Robert Winston Taylor and BVU, both parties discussed a program focused on two core objectives:
- Boosting Scientific Research: Collaborating with faculty and students to solve challenges related to the environment and sustainable technology.
- Developing an AI Training Platform: Training BVU faculty and students in Artificial Intelligence and providing strategic guidance for building a practical, application-oriented AI curriculum.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, BVU plans to launch a major in Artificial Intelligence. The involvement of Professor Robert Winston Taylor is expected to significantly enhance training quality, bridging the gap between theory and real-world projects such as environmental forecasting, energy optimization, and smart city development.
Currently, members from Ba Ria – Vung Tau University and Professor Robert Taylor are collaborating on a project focused on “Cooling the City” and Sustainable Tourism Development.
This partnership with Professor Robert Winston Taylor marks a significant milestone in BVU’s internationalization strategy and the development of spearhead technology sectors.
Detailed information regarding Professor Robert Winston Taylor’s upcoming activities at BVU will be updated soon.
Biography of Professor Robert Winston Taylor
Professor of Urban and Environmental Studies at the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, and an expert in organizational and urban sustainability. He teaches in the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science – Sustainability Leadership; serves as a member of the Doctoral Program Faculty, and supervises PhD candidates specializing in Environmental Management.
Areas of Expertise
- Sustainability Partnerships: Collaborating with communities and organizations to design sustainability projects that drive development.
- Green Entrepreneurship: Encouraging the establishment of startups and crafting business plans within the green technology sector.
- Socio-economic Impact: Enhancing employment rates and poverty reduction through sustainable initiatives.
- Urban Resilience: Developing climate change adaptation plans and risk management strategies for cities.
- Urban Footprint Reduction: Formulating food security and mobility strategies to reduce urban carbon footprints.
- Academic Development: Partnering with higher education institutions to develop postgraduate curricula in Sustainability.
Recent Sustainability Projects
- City Cooling and Sustainable Tourism Research Group – Ba Ria – Vung Tau University (Vietnam), 2026.
- Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the Ho Chi Minh City Region – Fulbright Specialist Program.
- Co-Chair of the International Conferences on Sustainable Development – OIDA.
- U.S. Department of Defense Grant: “Actionable Decision Making for Flooding Events using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Platforms with Integrated LiDAR and Hyperspectral Sensors.”
- Consultant for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET) for Sustainability Specialists.
- Solar Energy Development for Emerging Markets: Expanding solar power to off-grid areas, integrating solar energy into agricultural irrigation and micro-grids. Through a consulting agreement (CEMA) with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, he established the expert team that negotiated the first solar net-metering agreement with PSEG in New Jersey.
- New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Grant (in collaboration with Partners for Environmental Quality): “Interfaith Energy Alliance – An innovative approach to marketing energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.”
- New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Grant under the “NJ Million Solar Roofs Initiative” to provide technical consultancy in net-metering/grid-connection and solar feed-in tariffs.
- Urban Agriculture for Food Security: Utilizing underused urban land through vertical farming and rooftop hydroponics. This research extends to urban food waste composting and reduction strategies.
Prestigious Awards & Professional Experience
- 2013 – Present: Fulbright Specialist, Environmental Science.
- 2013: Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) Award: Visiting Professor, Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment.
- 2009: Two-time Fulbright Professor in the Philippines and Nigeria.
Administrative & Project Development Experience
- Acting Chair, Department of Earth & Environmental Studies (2007).
- Director, Center for Environmental Management & Analysis (CEMA).
Source of information: https://www.montclair.edu/profilepages/view_profile.php?username=taylorr
