SNAME Blog

For the second year in a row, Professor Paul Miller has served as the SNAME Maritime Convention (SMC) Technical Program Chair, coordinating the many papers and presentations. This month we are featuring Paul to bring attention to the technical program of SNAME’s flagship event and the people who make it possible. Earlier this summer, Paul retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he taught a variety of topics, including Engineering Materials Science, Principles of Naval Architecture, Ship Structures, Small Craft Design, and Private Pilot Ground School. Last year, Paul and Professor Yvonne Traynham released their textbook, “An Introduction to Marine Materials and Structures: For Engineering Students and Practicing Engineers,” the first in a new undergraduate textbook series from SNAME. 

Paul joined SNAME in 1983 as an undergraduate student at Tufts University. He completed his master’s degree in Ocean Engineering at the Stevens Institute in 1987, and his Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000. Paul’s lesser-known experiences and interests include growing up in Hong Kong, owning an airplane, and traveling around the world with his wife on motorcycles. As a teacher, Paul brought a breadth of design and operational experience into the classroom. He started his boat design career with Gary Mull, a notable designer of competitive fiberglass sailboats. Paul worked with Mull on designs for Freedom Yachts, a pioneer in the use of unstayed rigs and carbon fiber masts. Paul was the Manager of the Boston Sailing Center from 1985-1988 and then worked as an engineer for Newport News Shipbuilding from 1989 to 1992, contributing to the design of submarines and aircraft carriers. He was an associate designer for various America’s Cup syndicates from 1991-2003, specializing in the composite hull structures. He also designed and built his own boats within the development class of the International Ten Square Meter Sailing Canoe. 

Paul is knowledgeable about traditional boatbuilding techniques as well, having completed the Museum Program in American Maritime Studies at Williams College/Mystic Seaport in 1983. He and his wife Dawn maintained a classic 1962 wooden L. Francis Herreshoff-designed 28-foot ketch, as well as a classic Lyman runabout. Prior to joining the faculty at the Coast Guard Academy, Paul was a Lecturer at Berkeley from 1995-1998 (where he won the Graduate Student Instructor Award) and then joined the faculty at the Naval Academy, where he stayed for 18 years. While at the Naval Academy, he received multiple awards, including the Benac Civilian Teaching Award (USNA Civilian Instructor of the Year) and the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service to the Nation. His service roles have included directing the Naval Architecture program, serving as the SNAME Faculty Advisors Committee Chair, chairing the Sailboat team at the International Robotic Sailing Regatta four times, and managing the acquisition program for the Navy 44 Mark 2 sail training boats. Paul was also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (Coxswain, Air Crew, and Instructor). He spent a year as a visiting lecturer at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom, where he taught courses and advised research projects on small autonomous boats.