Page 4 · The Edge of the Map the trail from page 2 keeps going…

The edge
of the map.

The map isn’t finished. This is where it runs out.

Stop 02 · Ongoing Work

Still running

archival · workshop

Still running · since Dec 2025

ImGloB

ImGloB is a student club I founded to help students learn about finance, investing and global markets through workshops and practical challenges. So far, eight workshops have brought together 81 attendees and four industry mentors.

What’s next

[Duc to write]

archival · community

Still running · since May 2024

The Spectrum Hearts

I went from managing the budget to becoming president of The Spectrum Hearts, working with a team of 18 members and more than 20 volunteers on projects that help autistic children build practical skills and greater independence.

What’s next

[Duc to write]

archival · fieldwork

Still running · Gia Lai

VIGIL & TradeBridge

At VIGIL, a project focused on fighting deforestation, I built a financial model to support sponsorship from companies and impact funds; through TradeBridge, I also built a supply chain connecting Gia Lai farmers with buyers of cacao, coffee and honey, generating approximately VND 80 million in revenue, with profits reinvested in local community projects.

What’s next

[Duc to write]

Stop 03 · Academic Inquiry

On my desk now

Desk · 01 · Mathematics

My Math IA

I’m exploring how the probability of potting a billiard ball changes with the cut angle and the distance between the balls, using a familiar game to investigate a mathematical problem.

P(pot) as θ and d change

Desk · 02 · Business

Ground Floor at the Gabelli School of Business

I’m also exploring questions about business and purpose through Ground Floor, including an essay on what a company’s purpose can mean beyond profit.

#CorporatePurpose · #StakeholderCapitalism

Stop 04 · Last Marked Stop

Questions I’m still chasing

Bearing 01 · access & risk

When AI credit scoring or DeFi opens finance to more people, are they better off, or just exposed to new risks?

I want to understand whether new financial tools genuinely widen access or simply create different risks for the people who use them.

Bearing 02 · business & impact

Can a small business pay for its own impact?

I’m interested in whether a business can create meaningful social or environmental value while building a model that sustains that work financially.

Bearing 03 · what lasts

How would I know whether help actually lasted?

Beyond counting participants or money raised, I want to understand what evidence shows that a project has made a lasting difference in people’s lives.

Unsurveyed Territory

“no trail here yet — only pencil”

What I want to learn next

Economics, Finance & Quantitative Decision Sciences

I want to pursue economics, finance, and quantitative decision sciences. Every project I have touched—from an autism vocational class to the FECON tendering desk—has taught me that capital allocation is ultimately a human decision under uncertainty.

This field matters because it provides the analytical rigor needed to connect numbers with the vulnerable communities they are meant to support.

What I don’t know yet

One honest uncertainty

There is still a question I cannot answer with confidence, and I want to be honest about what I do not know yet rather than pretend that every experience has already led to a clear conclusion.

I do not know whether the tension between economic efficiency and genuine human dignity can ever be completely resolved in mathematical models. That uncertainty is why I intend to keep studying.

to be continued…

The map is still being drawn.

If you would like to talk about finance, business, research or projects that connect numbers with people, you can reach me at tranphanduc3103@gmail.com. You can also download my CV to learn more about my work and experience.

Write to me Download CV (PDF)