May-Win Thein

May-Win Thein is a Professor and Director of the Systems Design Ph.D. Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. She joined UNH in 1999 and has established herself as a leading researcher in system dynamics and control with applications in ocean and space systems. Her work spans autonomous vehicles, spacecraft control, and underwater robotics, with numerous collaborations with NASA, the Department of Defense, and international institutions.

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Oklahoma State University
• M.S., Lehigh University
• B.S., Lehigh University

Dr. Thein's research focuses on system dynamics and control, with particular emphasis on nonlinear estimation and control for ocean and space applications. Her work encompasses spacecraft attitude control, underwater vehicle navigation, autonomous surface vehicles, and swarm robotics. She has developed innovative approaches using particle swarm optimization, sliding mode control, and optical sensing systems for position and orientation detection in challenging environments.

Her publication record shows a strong trend toward applied control systems for autonomous vehicles, with increasing focus on underwater and space applications. Recent work emphasizes optical sensing for underwater vehicle coordination, particle swarm optimization for extraterrestrial exploration, and multi-layered control architectures for autonomous surface vehicles.

Dr. Thein has received notable recognition including:

• United Kingdom Royal Society Fellow (2007) for international collaborative research in spacecraft control

Dr. Thein has secured significant research funding from NASA, the US Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation. Her current projects include UWOC-Based Multi-UUV Coordination (2025-2026), UUV-ASV System development (2020-2023), and Particle Swarm Optimization for micro-aerial vehicles. She has mentored numerous graduate students through doctoral research projects focused on marine robotics, control systems, and autonomous vehicle technologies.

Her laboratory work focuses on developing test platforms for spacecraft attitude control (including the TableSat system for NASA's MMS mission) and optical sensing systems for underwater vehicle coordination. Current research directions include swarm coordination of unmanned vehicles, fault-tolerant control systems, and celestial navigation techniques for extraterrestrial applications.