About Supercritical

Our Story

Prof. Joaquim R. R. A. Martins founded Supercritical Research LLC in 2016 to bring cutting-edge computational design optimization from academia to industry. What began as a specialized consultancy in aircraft design has grown into a global practice, with a European presence through our Swiss subsidiary, Supercritical GmbH.

Our approach is built on advanced methods that Prof. Martins and his research group developed at the University of Michigan, including adjoint-based sensitivity analysis for CFD and structural models, generalized multidisciplinary coupling through NASA's OpenMDAO framework, and state-of-the-art optimization algorithms integrated with industry-grade geometry parametrization. These methods enable us to solve complex design problems faster and more efficiently than traditional approaches. In 2025, we restructured as Supercritical Inc. and expanded our leadership team, with Anil Yildirim and Andrew Lamkin joining as partners. This reflects our commitment to delivering world-class expertise across the full spectrum of computational engineering services.

We have partnered with industry leaders and innovators, including Aerion Supersonic, Gulfstream, American Magic, and JetZero, helping them achieve faster development cycles and superior performance.