As a Project Manager with 5 Lakes Energy, Soe Thiri Thandar, PhD, combines leadership in the solar renewable energy sector with engineering expertise, business acumen, and project management skills. She coordinates complex, multi-stakeholder projects that support the firm’s mission to accelerate the clean energy transition while delivering environmental, economic, and equity benefits. Her expertise spans solar deployment, economic modeling, and energy management systems (EnMS), built over a career of leading projects that deliver tangible results for communities and organizations.

Before joining 5 Lakes Energy, Soe Thiri served as Vice President at SolaRiseSys in Myanmar, where she led strategic planning, operational efficiency improvements, and the implementation of solar energy projects nationwide. Throughout her career, she has also held senior roles as Engineering Manager, Technical Director, and Project Director, managing both national and international projects.

Her global experience brings a unique perspective to local solutions, helping clients navigate complex policy landscapes and align technical design with strategic objectives. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and an authorized instructor with the Project Management Institute, with a proven record of delivering impactful training to multinational corporations, authorized training partners, and a university.

Soe Thiri recently completed her Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship at Michigan State University, focusing on sustainable economic development. She is committed to creating high-impact partnerships that turn ambitious clean energy goals into actionable results, helping clients succeed while advancing climate solutions that benefit communities for generations to come. She lives in East Lansing, Michigan, and enjoys community volunteering.