Inquiry Domains
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
Early-stage exploration decisions often lock paths long before subsurface uncertainty stabilizes.
Research in this area develops decision frameworks for determining whether exploration effort, access, or permitting commitments are admissible given geological uncertainty, physical access, environmental sensitivity, and regulatory lock-in.
Th
Early-stage exploration decisions often lock paths long before subsurface uncertainty stabilizes.
Research in this area develops decision frameworks for determining whether exploration effort, access, or permitting commitments are admissible given geological uncertainty, physical access, environmental sensitivity, and regulatory lock-in.
The emphasis is early elimination of weak options, disciplined deferral where learning still matters, and refusal where downside cannot be bounded.
This work may support exploration programs, strategic partnerships, or independent initiatives when aligned with real decision environments.
2. Marine and Offshore Contexts
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
Offshore and subsea environments combine sparse data, high operational cost, and early irreversibility.
Research focuses on decision governance for commitments involving seabed access, routing and corridors, environmental exposure, and operational fragility.
The goal is to determine where commitments are defensible, where they are fragile,
Offshore and subsea environments combine sparse data, high operational cost, and early irreversibility.
Research focuses on decision governance for commitments involving seabed access, routing and corridors, environmental exposure, and operational fragility.
The goal is to determine where commitments are defensible, where they are fragile, and where proceeding would lock in unacceptable downside instead of designing systems or routes.
3. Orbital and Planetary Commitments
1. Geothermal, CCS, Critical Minerals, Subsurface Commitments
3. Orbital and Planetary Commitments
Planetary and orbital contexts make irreversibility central.
Launch decisions, orbital placement, surface access, infrastructure siting, and governance choices permanently shape what is possible later. Mistakes cannot be corrected through iteration.
Research in this area addresses decision governance for terrain, energy, communications, tim
Planetary and orbital contexts make irreversibility central.
Launch decisions, orbital placement, surface access, infrastructure siting, and governance choices permanently shape what is possible later. Mistakes cannot be corrected through iteration.
Research in this area addresses decision governance for terrain, energy, communications, timing, access, and coordination under extreme uncertainty.
This work is framed as decision governance, not mission control, spacecraft design, or robotics execution.
4. Autonomy-Ready Decision Layers
5. Autonomous Inversion and Adaptive Sensing
3. Orbital and Planetary Commitments
As autonomous and semi-autonomous systems move into constrained physical environments, decision logic must be inherited instead of improvised.
Research explores how admissibility, constraints, and refusal logic can be encoded into machine-readable representations without turning governance into optimization or control.
The goal is to ensure
As autonomous and semi-autonomous systems move into constrained physical environments, decision logic must be inherited instead of improvised.
Research explores how admissibility, constraints, and refusal logic can be encoded into machine-readable representations without turning governance into optimization or control.
The goal is to ensure that autonomous systems operate within defensible decision boundaries rather than opaque objectives.
5. Autonomous Inversion and Adaptive Sensing
5. Autonomous Inversion and Adaptive Sensing
5. Autonomous Inversion and Adaptive Sensing
A central research focus is reframing inversion as a decision problem.
Instead of asking “What is the best model?”, this work asks:
- What uncertainty should be reduced next?
- Where would additional sensing materially change admissibility?
- Which measurements are not worth taking given irreversibility?
Research in this area informs sensing strat
A central research focus is reframing inversion as a decision problem.
Instead of asking “What is the best model?”, this work asks:
- What uncertainty should be reduced next?
- Where would additional sensing materially change admissibility?
- Which measurements are not worth taking given irreversibility?
Research in this area informs sensing strategies, adaptive exploration, and disciplined deferral under real constraints.
From Research to Practice
Research outputs take different forms depending on maturity and alignment:
- Internal method development
- Technical pilots anchored to real decisions
- White papers or demonstrations
- Decision governance integrations
- Independent initiatives where appropriate
Not all research becomes a product or venture. Some research exists solely to strengthen judgment and refusal authority.
Collaboration Model
The Lab collaborates selectively with partners who share a commitment to decision quality under real physical, operational, and capital constraints.
Collaborations are exploratory and decision-anchored. They are not open-ended and are not designed to produce analysis for its own sake.
Academic groups, operators, mission teams, and early-stage programs engage only when a live, named decision exists and research outcomes will directly inform admissibility judgment.
All Lab inquiries are time-bounded and terminated when value-of-information thresholds are met or exhausted.
Why This Matters
Many of the most consequential decisions in energy, infrastructure, resources, marine systems, and space are made before robust decision governance exists.
Once commitments harden, optionality disappears.
The Sustainable Exploration Lab ensures that decisions are governed with discipline before that happens.