Where Are We and Where Are We Going? AnalyzingSimulation-Driven Design Optimization Trends in Marine Engineering by Scoping Review

This paper distills the principal insights from our recent scoping review on simulation-based design optimization (SBDO) in naval engineering and offers a forward-looking perspective on emerging research avenues. We summarize how SBDO methods have evolved in terms of problem formulation, surrogate modeling, and algorithmic strategies, and highlight the role of multi-fidelity frameworks, dimensionality reduction, and machine learning. Finally, we outline key challenges-particularly the treatment of uncertainty and real-time data integration-and propose directions to advance the field toward more robust, efficient, and interpretable workflows.