He has taught astronomy at the University of Virginia, where he is a professor, since 1976, and is also a research associate at the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris.

Thuận was the recipient of UNESCO's Kalinga Prize in 2009 for his work in popularizing science.

He received the Kalinga chair award at the 99th Indian Science Congress at Bhubaneswar.

In 2012, he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca from the Institut de France.

[2] This prize recognizes authors whose work, literary or scientific, constitutes a message of modern humanism.