May Zin Thaw is the founder of a local think tank and research institute, Researchers' Republic, delivering several projects in her hometown in Kayah State. Thaw is interested in political economy, natural resource management and governance, and associated research field that shape the country's critical transitional period and current peace process. Her independent research and consultancy is associated with the political economy, natural resource management, and governance. Thaw is a former senior officer (land, natural resource, and environment sector) for the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement - Signatory Ethnic Armed Organizations (NCA-S EAOs) office in Yangon, Myanmar. She joined the organization in 2008 and was involved in several humanitarian and development project. She has worked with signatory ethnic armed organizations, political parties, and several agencies, international NGOs, local NGOs, and youth-led organizations. She received dual master's degrees, in sustainable natural resource management from the University for Peace, Costa Rica, and in political science from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.