Thu Nguyen graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Honours) in Chemical Engineering. 

After graduation, she worked at Austa Energy as assistant engineer investigating the rheology and settling behaviour of fly-ashes from Callide Power Station. She joined the CRC for Black Coal Ultilisation in 1999 working on the evolution of fuel nitrogen during the initial stage of coal combustion and the control of nitrogen emission in coal combustion.  In 2004, she completed her Master of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering.

Thu joined the AJ Parker for Hydrometallurgy as PhD candidate in 2004, which she was awarded in 2008.  Her project was on the effect of cobalt on the corrosion of lead anodes during electrowinning of base metals.  

Thu joined JKTech as Senior Data Analyst in March 2008.