In a tubular solid oxide fuel cell, as the size of the gas flow channels are increased for a given circumferential area, the velocity of the gaseous species decrease. This results in a higher residence time for the reactants thereby increasing the percentage conversion of the reactants. On the other hand, an increase in size leads to a reduction in the pressure drop across the cell. For a given exit pressure, this results in a reduced pressure inside the cell. The decrease in the pressure reduces the molar concentration of the reactants at a given temperature affecting the conversion of the reactants and increasing the concentration overpotential of the cell. Therefore an optimum L/D ratio exists for a given circumferential area. A detailed two dimensional steady state model is developed for the optimization of the aspect ratio for a set of given materials and operating conditions. In another optimization study, a graded loading of Ni at the anode is considered with the objective of reducing the temperature gradient across the cell. In a traditional SOFC, Ni loading in the Ni-YSZ anode remains uniform. If the Ni-loading near the channel is reduced, the diffusion length of the gaseous species will increase resulting in a higher concentration overpotential and a more pronounced temperature gradient towards the anode TPB. In contrast, a higher loading of Ni near the channel will result in a higher overall ohmic resistance of the cell and steeper temperature gradient near the channel. Computational optimization studies on optimal loading of Ni in the Ni-YSZ anode for the minimization of the temperature gradients will be presented in this talk.