  Accurate estimation of parameters is paramount in developing high-fidelity
models for complex dynamical systems. Model-based optimal experiment design
(OED) approaches enable systematic design of dynamic experiments to generate
input-output data sets with high information content for parameter estimation.
Standard OED approaches however face two challenges: (i) experiment design
under incomplete system information due to unknown true parameters, which
usually requires many iterations of OED; (ii) incapability of systematically
accounting for the inherent uncertainties of complex systems, which can lead to
diminished effectiveness of the designed optimal excitation signal as well as
violation of system constraints. This paper presents a robust OED approach for
nonlinear systems with arbitrarily-shaped time-invariant probabilistic
uncertainties. Polynomial chaos is used for efficient uncertainty propagation.
The distinct feature of the robust OED approach is the inclusion of chance
constraints to ensure constraint satisfaction in a stochastic setting. The
presented approach is demonstrated by optimal experimental design for the
JAK-STAT5 signaling pathway that regulates various cellular processes in a
biological cell.
