AbstractA new method is proposed for efficient optimization under uncertainty that addresses the curse of dimensionality as it pertains to the evaluation of probabilistic objectives and constraints. A basis adaptation strategy previously introduced by the authors is integrated into a design optimization framework that construes the optimization cost function as the quantity of interest and computes stochastic adapted bases as functions of design space parameters. With these adapted bases, the stochastic integrations at each design point are evaluated as low-dimensional integrals (mostly one dimensional). The proposed approach is demonstrated on a well-placement problem where the uncertainty is in the form of a stochastic process describing the permeability of the subsurface. An analysis of the method is carried out to better understand the effect of design parameters on the smoothness of the adaptation isometry.