Vassili Toropov, Professor of Aerospace and Structural Engineering

Inaugural lecture

‘Optimisation: getting more and better for less’

Does it have to be you get what you pay for? Does optimisation always push the design to the limit? Can we improve robustness of a system or a process by optimisation? In the design process, what do we do with the effect of factors beyond our control? Can optimisation invent a new design concept? How does optimisation relate to saving the planet? Can we afford not to optimise? If it is so good, why don’t we all do it all the time? What are the obstacles and how to remove them?