In Memory of Khiêm: Support for His Family

It is said that Vietnamese people identify deeply with the Lotus, their national flower, which Khiêm sheepishly explained was because like the Lotus, “We stand up straight and express our beauty, even though our feet are stuck in the mud.”

After a several-months long illness, we are heartbroken to share the passing of our dear friend, Khiêm Châu Nguyễn. We are Julia (Tran Anh Thu Nguyen) and Angela, graduate students who worked alongside him in the Chemistry department at NC State.

We are organizing support for Khiêm's family during this incredibly difficult time and are hoping to ease the financial worries they now face; this fund will provide essential support for funeral and transportation expenses. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference and show his family that they are not alone in their grief.

Expense Details

The fee to return Khiêm's body to Vietnam was $25,000 and his medical expenses accumulated to $2,000 after insurance. The funeral expenses are unknown at this time, but there is a memorial service scheduled for February 17th. For the time being, we have set the goal for this fundraiser to $27,000 to cover the known expenses.

Who Khiêm Was

Prof. Lindsey wrote a beautiful tribute to Khiêm's character in an article at the Technician. Below are some excerpts from it:

Khiêm was born on Sept. 24, 1985 in Vĩnh Long, Vietnam. He received a BSc degree from Ho Chi Minh University of Science, graduating second in his class of 200. He also earned an MS degree there with Dr. Thach N. Le, working for a time at Roskilde University in Denmark with Dr. Fritz Duus, and an MS degree from the University of Minnesota at Duluth with Dr. Viktor Zhdankin.

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Khiêm arrived at NC State in Fall 2017 and earned a PhD degree in 2022, with a dissertation entitled “Towards the Total Synthesis of Native Bacteriochlorophylls” under the author’s supervision. He continued working since then as a postdoctoral fellow in NC State’s Chemistry Department until shortly before he died.

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In every aspect, Khiêm displayed the traits of the most admirable scientists — sparkling creativity, insatiable quest to learn, boldness in experimentation, tenacity in the face of failure, humility in the face of uncertainty and selflessness in helping others.

Thank you for reading and for your consideration. We are so grateful for your support in this difficult time.