Design and evolution of large scientific experimental facilities : strategy and implementation

Abstract

This thesis is about the design and evolution of large scientific facilities that are used to probe the unknown mysteries of science and create a better future for humanity. These include globally distributed systems for quantum physics, confined fusion and imaging the earliest galaxies that formed after the Big Bang, among others. At the beginning of large scientific project's lifecycle there is often not a clear path to the final use case, a lot of uncertainty with immature technology and budgetary constraints. This thesis aims to gain key insights on how large scale research and development facilities can be optimally designed to take a "long sighted" approach in scientific research. In addition, the research presented has found in looking at a variety of existing, large scale scientific projects and talking with experienced project leaders, tools and techniques that can be leveraged to provide a balanced, system engineering approach to effectively build systems for upgrades and future use cases. Further to the classical system engineering and project management tools, this thesis presents an additional framework, utilizing Technology Roadmapping and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization, MDO, to aid in the foresight and success of large, R&D type projects and their evolution.