Background/Introduction <p>Functionally graded (FG) plates with controlled porosity are advanced materials used in demanding aerospace and structural applications. Their design requires navigating complex trade-offs between stiffness and stress distribution, which are significantly influenced by the nature and degree of porosity.</p> Purpose <p>This study aims to develop and validate a comprehensive multi-objective optimization framework for porous FG plates. The primary goal is to systematically analyze the impact of different porosity distributions on mechanical performance and to identify optimal design parameters that mitigate failure risks.</p> Methods <p>A quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory is integrated with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to create the optimization framework. The model incorporates four distinct porosity distributions (including linear, quadratic, and cubic types). Its accuracy is rigorously validated against established benchmarks, specifically Zenkour’s quasi-3D theory and Adou’s refined model, for both perfect and porous plates across a wide range of thickness ratios (a/h = 4 to 100) and material gradation indices (p = 0 to 100).</p> Results <p>Validation confirms the model's high accuracy. The results demonstrate that nonlinear porosity distributions (TYPE3/TYPE4) significantly increase mechanical sensitivity, amplifying deflection by up to 50% and stress sensitivity by 4.5% compared to linear distributions. Furthermore, the RSM-based optimization identifies critical material thresholds specifically a porosity coefficient (ξ &gt; 0.3) and a gradation index (p &gt; 60) beyond which failure risks are markedly reduced.</p> Conclusions <p>The proposed framework successfully enables the tailored design of porous FG plates. It provides a powerful tool for engineers to optimize the porosity-dependent stiffness-stress trade-off, facilitating the development of high-performance components for specialized applications where weight and mechanical integrity are paramount.</p>