Strategic Engineering Laboratory
How do we design future-generation engineering systems that are more sustainable and resilient in the face of uncertainty and risk?
At the Strategic Engineering Lab (SEL) we tackle the design, deployment, and operation of next-generation systems — for defence, energy, resource extraction, transportation, and space exploration — that run for decades and demand investments of £100 million or more.
Designing for flexibility under deep uncertainty
With threats stemming from climate change, resource scarcity, and geopolitical instability, long-lived systems can become highly vulnerable in the decades to come. We need to change the way we design systems to be ready for these challenges.
Our work exploits the concept of flexibility — enabling systems to adapt, reconfigure, and evolve so they deliver strong economic performance alongside better sustainability and resilience over the long term. We build tools to model uncertainty, analyse risk, support creativity, optimise operations, and inform the decisions of policymakers and business leaders.
Our research develops and evaluates new data-driven methods, digital processes, and computational algorithms to help designers create the systems of tomorrow, and to generate better value for society. Our goal is to develop the tools and techniques for future-generation engineers, so they are ready to tackle the challenges of designing complex engineered systems.
- Aerospace & Space
- Energy
- Resource Extraction
- Transportation
- Defence
Projects
Our work spans aerospace and space, energy, resource extraction, and transportation. We collaborate with institutions and companies around the world to develop and apply genuinely impactful system-design tools and processes.
Space Resources Value-Chain Business Modelling
A reference financial and business modelling capability for the lunar In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) value-chain, developed with the European Space Agency.
View programmeISRU Plant Design and Deployment Strategy Under Uncertainty
Optimising the design of In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) plants and their deployment strategies for the lunar environment under uncertain parameters.
View programmeImmersive Technologies to Support the Design and Policymaking for Complex Energy Systems Operating under Uncertainty
Serious games as controlled laboratories for studying — and improving — how planners make long-term electricity-system investment decisions under deep uncertainty.
View programmeStrategic Portfolio Design of Carbon Capture and Reuse Technologies
Data-driven decision rules for managing portfolios of decarbonisation technologies, applied to carbon capture and reuse.
View programmePhysics-Aware, Operation-Aware Reinforcement Learning for Fuel-Saving Airline Fuel Loading Strategy
A reinforcement learning framework for airline fuel loading that models fuel carried against fuel consumed to cut excess contingency fuel and emissions without compromising safety.
View programmeStrategic Modelling and Design of Value Chain Systems under Uncertainty
Modelling and simulation of how value chain systems form and stay viable under uncertainty when decisions are spread across several actors, with initial applications in the automotive sector.
View programme
Resources
Projects
Impactful system-design tools applied with partners worldwide, across aerospace, energy, resource extraction, and transportation.
02Publications
Methods and applications across leading design, systems, and economics journals.
03People
A team drawn from across continents, with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise.
04Opportunities
PhD study in resilient and sustainable infrastructure systems design and analysis.
Related groups & communities
Work with us
For academic details or collaboration enquiries, get in touch with the lab director.
m.cardin@imperial.ac.uk