University of Michigan MDO Lab

What University of Michigan MDO Lab does

The University of Michigan MDO (Multidisciplinary Design Optimization) Lab is an academic research laboratory within the university's Department of Aerospace Engineering, founded in 2002 by Prof. Joaquim R.R.A. Martins. The lab develops numerical methods for the analysis and design optimization of coupled engineering systems, with a primary focus on aircraft configuration optimization to minimize environmental impact. Its research spans both theoretical work on derivative computation methods and applied work on aerostructural, aeropropulsive, and wind turbine optimization. The lab is small, with 8 reported employees, and operates as part of the University of Michigan's academic infrastructure.

The lab's core technology stack centers on OpenMDAO, a co-developed open-source Python framework for multidisciplinary analysis and design optimization that uses adjoint methods to compute gradients efficiently for problems with tens of thousands of design variables. Building on OpenMDAO, the lab has developed a portfolio of open-source tools including MPhys (multiphysics coupling library), pyOptSparse (large-scale constrained optimization), ADflow (CFD solver), pyGeo (geometry parametrization), OpenAeroStruct (lightweight aerostructural optimization), MACH-Aero (high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization framework), GeoMACH (geometry-centric MDAO), Webfoil (online airfoil analysis), and pyXDSM (MDO process visualization). The MACH framework enables simultaneous aerodynamic shape and structural sizing optimization for aeroelastic tailoring of wings, with documented outcomes including 8.8% fuel burn reduction and 11.2% fuel burn reduction through multipoint aerostructural optimization.

The lab operates on a non-commercial academic model. It does not sell products or charge licensing fees; instead, all software is released as open-source on GitHub. Funding flows from government grants and collaborative research projects, primarily with NASA Glenn Research Center (aeropropulsive design optimization, STARC-ABL studies) and the NASA Aeronautical Sciences Program (GeoMACH project). The lab's output is measured through peer-reviewed publications, open-source software releases, and awards (multiple AIAA Best Paper awards, AIAA Student Paper Competition wins in 2021 and 2022, and AIAA and Royal Aeronautical Society Fellowships for Prof. Martins). The customer base is effectively the global aerospace research community, with NASA as the dominant funding and collaboration partner.

Name

University of Michigan MDO Lab

Legal name

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory

Website

https://mdolab.engin.umich.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The University of Michigan MDO Lab is an academic research laboratory that develops open-source multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) frameworks and tools for aerospace engineering, particularly aircraft aerostructural and aeropropulsive optimization. Founded in 2002, it is led by Prof. Joaquim Martins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Engineering Simulation Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) & Avionics Computing Platforms (IMABAFAI)

Keywords

• Multidisciplinary design optimization
• Gradient-based optimization
• Aerostructural optimization
• Adjoint sensitivity analysis
• Open-source MDO software

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The MDO Lab develops and maintains open-source software frameworks for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) of coupled engineering systems, with a focus on aircraft configurations. It pioneered OpenMDAO and related tools (MPhys, pyOptSparse, MACH-Aero, OpenAeroStruct, ADflow, GeoMACH, Webfoil, pyXDSM) that enable gradient-based optimization using adjoint-computed derivatives across aerodynamic, structural, and propulsion disciplines.

Product overview

The MDO Laboratory is a university research group at the University of Michigan, not a commercial product company. Its output consists of open-source software tools and research publications. The core software portfolio includes OpenMDAO (NASA-developed MDO framework with MDO Lab contributions), pyOptSparse (optimization interface), MPhys (multiphysics library), and application-specific tools like OpenAeroStruct (lightweight aerostructural optimization), MACH-Aero (aerodynamic optimization framework), Webfoil (airfoil tool), GeoMACH (geometry tools), and pyXDSM (visualization). These tools work together within the OpenMDAO ecosystem to enable high-fidelity multidisciplinary design optimization of aircraft and engineering systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OpenMDAO Open-source Python framework that facilitates the coupling of multiple models to perform multidisciplinary analysis and design optimization. Uses derivatives to accelerate solution of coupled systems and provide gradients for gradient-based optimization algorithms, capable of solving problems with tens of thousands of variables and similar number of constraints. Developed by NASA with MDO Lab contributions.
• pyOptSparse Open-source Python optimization framework developed by MDO Lab that provides a unified interface for various gradient-free and gradient-based optimizers including SNOPT. Supports MPI for parallel execution and is used for large-scale constrained nonlinear optimization of sparse systems.
• MPhys Multiphysics analysis and optimization library built on OpenMDAO, developed by NASA with contributions from MDO Lab. Provides standard disciplinary interfaces for rapid development of high- and mixed-fidelity coupled multiphysics models for gradient-based MDO.
• OpenAeroStruct Lightweight open-source aerostructural optimization code developed by MDO Lab that couples a vortex-lattice method (VLM) with a 6-DOF 3D spatial beam model for aerodynamic and structural analyses on lifting surfaces.
• MACH-Aero Framework for aerodynamic design optimization developed by MDO Lab that couples CFD solvers (ADflow or OpenFOAM), geometry parametrization (pyGeo), mesh deformation (IDWarp), and optimizer interface (pyOptSparse) to enable high-fidelity aerodynamic optimization of aircraft configurations.
• Webfoil Online tool developed by MDO Lab for airfoil analysis and optimization, including a vast airfoil database and integration with XFOIL for subsonic isolated airfoil design and analysis.
• GeoMACH Geometry-centric multidisciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) tool suite for aircraft configurations using high-fidelity tools. Funded by NASA's Aeronautical Sciences program and integrated with OpenMDAO.
• pyXDSM eXtended Design Structure Matrix (XDSM) tool developed by MDO Lab for visualizing MDO processes, including interfaces among components, data exchange, and process flow in computational MDO architectures.
• ADflow Open-source CFD solver for aerodynamic and multidisciplinary optimization that supports RANS simulations with the ANK (Approximate Newton-Krylov) solver. Part of the MACH-Aero framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel burn reduction of 8.8% through aerostructural wing optimization
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NASA Aeronautical Sciences ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012NASA's Aeronautical Sciences program funds the GeoMACH (Geometry-Centric MDAO of Aircraft Configurations with High Fidelity) project, a tool suite for multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization with high-fidelity tools in aircraft design.
• NASA Glenn Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008NASA Glenn Research Center collaborates with the MDO Lab on the development of OpenMDAO framework and aeropropulsive design optimization. The collaboration focuses on developing methods for coupled aerodynamic-propulsion optimization, including boundary layer ingestion (BLI) propulsion systems. NASA's STARC-ABL aircraft concept has been studied through this collaboration.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIT Aerospace Computational Design Laboratory: MIT research group active in aerodynamic shape optimization and aircraft design using adjoint methods and VLM-style tools (AVL, XFOIL lineage). Comparable academic peer in adjoint-based aerodynamic optimization atop similar toolchains.
• DLR (German Aerospace Center): Germany's national aerospace research organization, with extensive MDO and aircraft design optimization activity. Comparable government-funded counterpart publishing alongside MDO Lab at AIAA MDO conferences.
• ONERA (French Aerospace Lab): French national aerospace research center with deep MDO and adjoint aerodynamics research. Comparable as a government-affiliated research lab pushing the state of the art in multidisciplinary aircraft design optimization.
• NASA Glenn Research Center: Co-developer of OpenMDAO and MPhys and a co-funder of GeoMACH. Highly comparable as a federal aerospace research center working on aeropropulsive, BLI, and high-fidelity MDO for future aircraft, with overlapping scope on STARC-ABL and turboelectric propulsion.
• Stanford SU2 Team: Stanford-led open-source CFD suite used in aerodynamic and adjoint-based optimization. Comparable to MDO Lab's ADflow/MACH-Aero in being a university-driven, open-source, adjoint-capable CFD codebase for aerospace research and design.

Broad incumbents

• ANSYS: Commercial CAE leader (Fluent, Mechanical, optiSLang) that provides integrated CFD, FEA, and optimization workflows to aerospace OEMs. Comparable as a user-facing platform for aerodynamic-structural optimization, but commercially licensed versus MDO Lab's open-source stack.
• Altair Engineering: Offers HyperWorks and HyperStudy for design optimization, including aircraft structural and aerodynamic studies. Comparable commercially licensed MDO tooling used by aerospace primes.
• Dassault Systèmes (SIMULIA): Provider of Abaqus and 3DEXPERIENCE simulation tools widely used in aerospace structural and multidisciplinary optimization. Comparable as an MDO/CAD-adjacent platform serving aircraft design workflows.
• Siemens Digital Industries Software (Simcenter): Commercial simulation portfolio (StarCCM+, HEEDS) for multiphysics CFD and design optimization. Overlaps with MDO Lab in aerodynamic and multidisciplinary optimization for aerospace, but at industrial scale with paid licensing and support.

Others

• Pointwise / Cadence (Fidelity Pointwise): Meshing and CFD pre-processing tool used in MACH-Aero workflows alongside ADflow and pyGeo. Comparable as an enabling technology provider in the optimization toolchain that MDO Lab integrates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/mdolab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcJbhFFw04oK7YCsgqhXNFQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-michigan-mdo-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Michigan MDO Lab