Overview
The focus of Thulasi's research is on nonlinear control theory. She has worked on several topics including optimal control, differential games, data-driven control, distributed control, mean-field games and coverage control.

Her main current research interests include dynamic optimisation, including optimal control and differential games, distributed control and data-driven control. Her research is chiefly fundamental in nature, and she has a particular interest in applications to robotic systems and renewable energy systems.

Dynamic Optimisation:
Thulasi has developed several techniques that provide systematic techniques to solve optimal control problems and differential games. The techniques have proved beneficial for various applications, e.g. in the context of autonomous coordination of robotic systems and wind turbine control.

Data-Driven Control:
Thulasi has worked on data-driven control for linear time-varying systems and data-driven control in the context of dynamic games. She has also worked on specialising the former for applications to (partially unknown) complex robotic systems (e.g. snake robots).

Distributed Control:
Thulasi has worked on the development of distributed control strategies, using ideas borrowed from game theory.


PhD Student Supervision

Thulasi is currently the main supervisor of Maria Luisa Scarpa (2021 - present) and the co-supervisor of Emyr Williams (2024 - present) and Yihan Liu (2024 - present).

Past PhD students include
- Dr Domenico Cappello (main supervisor)
- Dr Benita Nortmann (main supervisor)
- Dr Han Bai (co-supervisor)
- Dr Stefanie Duessler (co-supervisor)