Thanh Nguyen Canh
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Information Science at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). I work at the Robotics Laboratory, advised by Prof. Nak Young Chong, on 3D active semantic SLAM.
I received my master's degree in Information Science from JAIST, Japan, and my B.S. degree in Robotics Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University. My master's work focused on real-time semantic-aware simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
During my master's studies, I collaborated with Prof. Xiem HoangVan, Prof. Armagan Elibol, Prof. Manh Duong Phung, and Prof. Van-Truong Nguyen.
I am also a lecturer in the Robotics Department at the University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University. In 2026, my visiting research at the University of Genoa focuses on the SOLARIS project with Prof. Antonio Sgorbissa, developing drone teams for solar-panel monitoring.
Research Interests
My research focuses on semantic, active, and lifelong simultaneous localization and mapping for autonomous robots. I study probabilistic and continual learning, robot perception, and environment representation to support reliable navigation and motion planning. I am also interested in human–robot interaction, humanoid robotics, multisensor fusion, and control, with applications to unmanned aerial vehicles and other robotic platforms.
Recent news
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Our paper BPDA-GMM: Bayesian Probabilistic Data Association via Gaussian Mixture Models for Semantic SLAM has been accepted for publication in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L).
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Our paper Semantic Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: A survey on state of the art, challenges, and future directions has been accepted for publication in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
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Our paper SR-SLAM: Scene reliability-based RGB-D SLAM in diverse environments has been accepted for publication in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
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I am honored to receive the JSPS Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for 2027–2029.
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I am honored to receive the KDDI Foundation Scholarship for 2027–2028, following its support for 2024–2025.
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I am honored to receive the UniGe Scholarship from the University of Genoa for 2026.
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Our paper on Adaptive Prior Scene-Object SLAM for Dynamic Environments has been accepted to The 2025 IEEE International Conference on Real-time Computing and Robotics.
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Our paper on Context-aware LLM-based Human-Robot Interaction has been accepted to International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Networks 2025.
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I am honored to receive JST SPRING Scholarship 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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I am honored to receive KDDI Foundation Scholarship 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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I served as a teaching assistant for I213E: Discrete Signal Processing.
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I served as a teaching assistant for I116E: Fundamentals of Programming.
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I started my Ph.D. journey in the School of Information Science at JAIST.
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Our paper on Design of Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Traffic Signal Control at Three-way Crossroads has been accepted to Public Transport.
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Our paper on Enhancing Social Robot Navigation with Integrated Motion Prediction and Trajectory Planning in Dynamic Human Environments has been accepted to ICCAS2024.
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Our paper on Toward Integrating Semantic-aware Path Planning and Reliable Localization for UAV Operations has been accepted to ICCAS2024.
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I have passed my qualifying exam and advanced to Ph.D. candidacy. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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I successfully defended my M.Sc. thesis.
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I served as a teaching assistant for FET: Programming robot with ROS; Human Machine Interface; PLC and Its Application; & Mechanical Drawing.
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Our paper on Underwater Image Enhancement for Depth Estimation via Various Image Processing Techniques has been accepted to ICSSE2024.
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I worked as a lecturer at the Robotics Department at University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Vietnam.
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I started my master's studies in the School of Information Science at JAIST.
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Our paper on Machine Learning-Based Malicious Vehicle Detection for Security Threats and Attacks in Vehicle Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) Communications has been accepted to RIVF2023.
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Our paper on S3M: Semantic Segmentation Sparse Mapping for UAVs with RGB-D Camera has been accepted to SII2024.
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I am honored to receive VINIF Scholarship
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Our paper on Object-Oriented Semantic Mapping for Reliable UAVs Navigation has been accepted to ICCAIS2023.
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I am honored to receive Collaboration Scholarship from JAIST
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I started my master's studies in the Robotics Department at University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Vietnam.
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Our paper on Multisensor Data Fusion for Reliable Obstacle Avoidance has been accepted to ICCAIS2022
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I am honored to receive Best Student Thesis Award and Excellent Student Award.
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I successfully defended my B.S. thesis.
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I started my B.S. journey in the Robotics Department at University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Vietnam.
Selected publications
All publications
Journal2026
Semantic Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: A survey on state of the art, challenges, and future directions
Awards & professional activities
- Student Representative, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, 2026–2027.
- Local Committee, 13th ASEAN Workshop on Information Science and Technology (AWIST 2025).
- Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Research, Innovation and Vision for the Future (RIVF 2023).
- Guided students who won second place in the 2023 Student Research Competition, VNU-University of Engineering and Technology.
- Best Student Thesis Award, VNU-University of Engineering and Technology, 2022.
- REV-ECIT Best Paper Award, Radio and Electronics Association of Vietnam, 2022.
- First place, Student Research Competition, VNU-University of Engineering and Technology, 2021.
Peer review & professional service
I review for journals and conferences in robotics, artificial intelligence, and engineering.
- IEEE: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, and IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement.
- Elsevier: Knowledge-Based Systems, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, ISA Transactions, Expert Systems with Applications, Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, Computers & Electrical Engineering, Applied Soft Computing Journal, Neurocomputing, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Measurement, and Results in Engineering.
- Springer: Multimedia Tools and Applications.
- Nature: Scientific Reports.
- Other journals and conferences: ICCAIS 2023, ICCAIS 2024, ICCAS 2024, ICCAS 2025, IEEE SIMPAR 2025, All Life, and Journal of Automation, Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
Scholarships & fellowships
Personal academic support and research fellowships.
Fellowship · 2027–2029JSPS Fellowship, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Scholarship · 2027–2028KDDI Foundation Scholarship
Scholarship · 2026UniGe Scholarship, University of Genoa
Fellowship · 2025–2027JST SPRING Fellowship, Japan Science and Technology Agency
Scholarship · 2024–2025KDDI Foundation Scholarship
Fellowship · 2024–2025JAIST Doctoral Research Fellowship (DRF), Special Type
Scholarship · 2023–2024Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship
Scholarship · 2022–2024VINIF Scholarship, Vingroup Innovation Foundation
Scholarship · 2021–2022Vallet Scholarship, Vallet Foundation
Contact
Contact detailsFor research collaboration, student inquiries and questions about my work, contact me at thanhnc@jaist.ac.jp.
Perception, Autonomy, and Intelligent Robotics Systems Lab (PAIRS)