diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 9ddb9898..1692ff48 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+---
 name: Python tests
 
 on:
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 30
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
+        python-version: ['3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
diff --git a/engibench/constraint.py b/engibench/constraint.py
index e4a7992a..56825ff2 100644
--- a/engibench/constraint.py
+++ b/engibench/constraint.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 """Constraints for parameters of Problem classes."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable
 import dataclasses
 from dataclasses import dataclass
@@ -48,15 +46,15 @@ class Constraint:
     criticality: Criticality = Criticality.Error
     """Criticality of a violation of the constraint."""
 
-    def category(self, category: Category) -> Constraint:
+    def category(self, category: Category) -> "Constraint":
         """Return a copy of the constraint which has the specified category added."""
         return Constraint(check=self.check, criticality=self.criticality, categories=self.categories | category)
 
-    def warning(self) -> Constraint:
+    def warning(self) -> "Constraint":
         """Return a copy of the constraint with the criticality level set to "warning"."""
         return Constraint(check=self.check, criticality=Criticality.Warning, categories=self.categories)
 
-    def check_dict(self, parameter_args: dict[str, Any]) -> Violation | None:
+    def check_dict(self, parameter_args: dict[str, Any]) -> "Violation | None":
         """Check for a violation of the given constraint for the given parameters."""
         # We first inspect the arguments of check callback:
         sig = inspect.signature(self.check)
@@ -82,7 +80,7 @@ def check_dict(self, parameter_args: dict[str, Any]) -> Violation | None:
             return Violation(self, str(e))
         return None
 
-    def check_value(self, value: Any) -> Violation | None:
+    def check_value(self, value: Any) -> "Violation | None":
         """Check for a violation for the given single positional value."""
         try:
             self.check(value)
@@ -165,13 +163,13 @@ def __init__(self, violations: list[Violation], n_constraints: int) -> None:
         self.violations = violations
         self.n_constraints = n_constraints
 
-    def by_category(self, category: Category) -> Violations:
+    def by_category(self, category: Category) -> "Violations":
         """Filter the violations by the category of the constraint causing the violation."""
         return Violations(
             [violation for violation in self.violations if category in violation.constraint.categories], self.n_constraints
         )
 
-    def by_criticality(self, criticality: Criticality) -> Violations:
+    def by_criticality(self, criticality: Criticality) -> "Violations":
         """Filter the violations by criticality."""
         return Violations(
             [violation for violation in self.violations if violation.constraint.criticality == criticality],
diff --git a/engibench/core.py b/engibench/core.py
index 41b682f4..2021801d 100644
--- a/engibench/core.py
+++ b/engibench/core.py
@@ -1,24 +1,19 @@
 """Core API for Problem and other base classes."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
+from collections.abc import Sequence
 import dataclasses
 from enum import auto
 from enum import Enum
-from typing import Any, Generic, TYPE_CHECKING, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, Generic, TypeVar
 
 from datasets import Dataset
 from datasets import load_dataset
+from gymnasium import spaces
 import numpy as np
 import numpy.typing as npt
 
 from engibench import constraint
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from collections.abc import Sequence
-
-    from gymnasium import spaces
-
 DesignType = TypeVar("DesignType")
 
 
diff --git a/engibench/problems/airfoil/v0.py b/engibench/problems/airfoil/v0.py
index bb0fef13..a9f2d410 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/airfoil/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/airfoil/v0.py
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 """
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from dataclasses import field
 import os
diff --git a/engibench/problems/beams2d/backend.py b/engibench/problems/beams2d/backend.py
index a6393d2b..4f082797 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/beams2d/backend.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/beams2d/backend.py
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@
 This code has been adapted from the Python implementation by Niels Aage and Villads Egede Johansen: https://github.com/arjendeetman/TopOpt-MMA-Python
 """
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 import dataclasses
 from typing import Any, overload
 
diff --git a/engibench/problems/beams2d/v0.py b/engibench/problems/beams2d/v0.py
index 177bc5f1..4683e0bf 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/beams2d/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/beams2d/v0.py
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 """Beams 2D problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from copy import deepcopy
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from dataclasses import field
diff --git a/engibench/problems/heatconduction2d/v0.py b/engibench/problems/heatconduction2d/v0.py
index d63875af..4969797c 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/heatconduction2d/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/heatconduction2d/v0.py
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@
 The problem is solved using the dolfin-adjoint software within a Docker container.
 """
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 import os
 import subprocess
diff --git a/engibench/problems/heatconduction3d/v0.py b/engibench/problems/heatconduction3d/v0.py
index 23ffabfc..5aa6386f 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/heatconduction3d/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/heatconduction3d/v0.py
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@
 The problem is solved using the dolfin-adjoint software within a Docker container.
 """
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 import os
 import subprocess
@@ -292,7 +290,7 @@ def render(self, design: npt.NDArray, *, open_window: bool = False) -> Any:
         ]  # Side edges
 
         for edge in cube_edges:
-            ax.plot(*zip(*cube_vertices[list(edge)]), color="red", linewidth=2)
+            ax.plot(*zip(*cube_vertices[list(edge)], strict=True), color="red", linewidth=2)
 
         if open_window:
             plt.show()
diff --git a/engibench/problems/photonics2d/dataset_slurm_test.py b/engibench/problems/photonics2d/dataset_slurm_test.py
index 375ecc9b..73974820 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/photonics2d/dataset_slurm_test.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/photonics2d/dataset_slurm_test.py
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@
 """
 
 from argparse import ArgumentParser
+from collections.abc import Callable
 from itertools import product
 import os
 import pickle
 import shutil
 import time
-from typing import Any, Callable
+from typing import Any
 
 import numpy as np
 
diff --git a/engibench/problems/photonics2d/v0.py b/engibench/problems/photonics2d/v0.py
index b57d2c06..fdd1573d 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/photonics2d/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/photonics2d/v0.py
@@ -6,17 +6,16 @@
 Author: Mark Fuge @markfuge
 """
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 
 # Need os import for makedirs for saving plots
 import os
 import pprint
-from typing import Annotated, Any, ClassVar, TYPE_CHECKING
+from typing import Annotated, Any, ClassVar
 
 # Importing autograd since the ceviche library uses it for automatic differentiation of the FDFD solver
 import autograd.numpy as npa
+from autograd.numpy.numpy_boxes import ArrayBox
 
 # Import ArrayBox type for checking
 import ceviche
@@ -47,9 +46,6 @@
 from engibench.problems.photonics2d.backend import poly_ramp
 from engibench.problems.photonics2d.backend import wavelength_to_frequency
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from autograd.numpy.numpy_boxes import ArrayBox
-
 
 class Photonics2D(Problem[npt.NDArray]):
     r"""Photonic Inverse Design 2D Problem (Wavelength Demultiplexer).
diff --git a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/config.py b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/config.py
index 4e9b2b4c..4b6142fe 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/config.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/config.py
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 """Set up the configuration for the Power Electronics problem."""
 # ruff: noqa: N806, N815 # Upper case
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from dataclasses import field
 import os
diff --git a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/netlist_handler.py b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/netlist_handler.py
index a2e3d9a8..093f5241 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/netlist_handler.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/netlist_handler.py
@@ -2,18 +2,12 @@
 
 # ruff: noqa: N806  # Upper case variables
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-
 import networkx as nx
 
+from engibench.problems.power_electronics.utils.config import Config
 from engibench.problems.power_electronics.utils.constants import COLOR_DICT
 from engibench.problems.power_electronics.utils.constants import COMPONENTS
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from engibench.problems.power_electronics.utils.config import Config
-
 
 def parse_topology(config: Config) -> tuple[Config, str, dict[str, list[int]], nx.Graph]:
     """Parse the topology from config.original_netlist_path. It does NOT change config.
diff --git a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/ngspice.py b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/ngspice.py
index d414c91a..a801001f 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/ngspice.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/utils/ngspice.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 """NgSpice wrapper for cross-platform support."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 import os
 import platform
 import re
diff --git a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/v0.py b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/v0.py
index b95ea28f..bef296d4 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/power_electronics/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/power_electronics/v0.py
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 """Power Electronics problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 import os
 from typing import Any, NoReturn
 
diff --git a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/fea_model.py b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/fea_model.py
index 5c3536fe..677719ad 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/fea_model.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/fea_model.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 """This module contains the Python implementation of the thermoelastic 2D problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from math import ceil
 from math import hypot
 import time
diff --git a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/mma_subroutine.py b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/mma_subroutine.py
index a3e8b50e..bd35be96 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/mma_subroutine.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/model/mma_subroutine.py
@@ -1,15 +1,10 @@
 """This module contains the MMA subroutine used in the thermoelastic2d problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from mmapy import mmasub as external_mmasub
 import numpy as np
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from numpy.typing import NDArray
+from numpy.typing import NDArray
 
 RESIDUAL_MAX_VAL = 0.9
 ITERATION_MAX = 500
diff --git a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/utils.py b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/utils.py
index 982f64a4..3ec2728f 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/utils.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/utils.py
@@ -1,17 +1,11 @@
 """Utility functions for the thermoelastic2d problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-
 from matplotlib import colors
+from matplotlib.figure import Figure
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 import numpy as np
 import numpy.typing as npt
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from matplotlib.figure import Figure
-
 
 def get_res_bounds(x_res: int, y_res: int) -> tuple[npt.NDArray, npt.NDArray, npt.NDArray, npt.NDArray]:
     """Generates the indices corresponding to the left, top, right, and bottom elements in the domain.
diff --git a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/v0.py b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/v0.py
index 7d09a5fe..2ae6c518 100644
--- a/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/v0.py
+++ b/engibench/problems/thermoelastic2d/v0.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 """Thermo Elastic 2D Problem."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from dataclasses import field
 from typing import Annotated, Any, ClassVar
diff --git a/engibench/utils/container.py b/engibench/utils/container.py
index fa711c62..c3f2cfb0 100644
--- a/engibench/utils/container.py
+++ b/engibench/utils/container.py
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 """Abstraction over container runtimes."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
+from collections.abc import Sequence
 import os
 import subprocess
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from collections.abc import Sequence
 
 
 def pull(image: str) -> None:
@@ -51,26 +46,6 @@ def run(
         raise RuntimeError(msg) from e
 
 
-def runtime() -> type[ContainerRuntime] | None:
-    """Determine the container runtime to use according to the environment variable `CONTAINER_RUNTIME`.
-
-    If not set, check for availability.
-
-    Returns:
-        Class object of the first available container runtime or the container runtime selected by the
-        `CONTAINER_RUNTIME` environment variable if set.
-    """
-    runtimes_by_name = {rt.name: rt for rt in RUNTIMES}
-    rt_name = os.environ.get("CONTAINER_RUNTIME")
-    rt = runtimes_by_name.get(rt_name) if rt_name is not None else None
-    if rt is not None:
-        return rt
-    for rt in RUNTIMES:
-        if rt.is_available():
-            return rt
-    return None
-
-
 class ContainerRuntime:
     """Abstraction over container runtimes."""
 
@@ -125,6 +100,26 @@ def run(
         raise NotImplementedError("Must be implemented by a subclass")
 
 
+def runtime() -> type[ContainerRuntime] | None:
+    """Determine the container runtime to use according to the environment variable `CONTAINER_RUNTIME`.
+
+    If not set, check for availability.
+
+    Returns:
+        Class object of the first available container runtime or the container runtime selected by the
+        `CONTAINER_RUNTIME` environment variable if set.
+    """
+    runtimes_by_name = {rt.name: rt for rt in RUNTIMES}
+    rt_name = os.environ.get("CONTAINER_RUNTIME")
+    rt = runtimes_by_name.get(rt_name) if rt_name is not None else None
+    if rt is not None:
+        return rt
+    for rt in RUNTIMES:
+        if rt.is_available():
+            return rt
+    return None
+
+
 class Docker(ContainerRuntime):
     """Docker 🐋 runtime."""
 
diff --git a/engibench/utils/slurm.py b/engibench/utils/slurm.py
index 72a0831a..a485e7af 100644
--- a/engibench/utils/slurm.py
+++ b/engibench/utils/slurm.py
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 """Slurm executor for parameter space discovery."""
 
-from __future__ import annotations
-
 from argparse import ArgumentParser
+from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable, Sequence
 from dataclasses import asdict
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from dataclasses import field
@@ -14,18 +13,13 @@
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import tempfile
-from typing import Any, Generic, TYPE_CHECKING, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, Generic, TypeVar
 
 from numpy import typing as npt
 
 from engibench.core import OptiStep
 from engibench.core import Problem
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable, Sequence
-
-    import numpy.typing as npt
-
 
 @dataclass
 class Args:
@@ -73,7 +67,7 @@ def serialize(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
         }
 
     @classmethod
-    def deserialize(cls, serialized_job: dict[str, Any]) -> Job:
+    def deserialize(cls, serialized_job: dict[str, Any]) -> "Job":
         """Deserialize a job object from an other python process."""
         design_factory = serialized_job["design_factory"]
         return cls(
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 15e2be52..de741d50 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -7,14 +7,13 @@ name = "engibench"
 dynamic = ["version"]
 description="A suite of benchmarks for automated engineering design."
 readme = "README.md"
-requires-python = ">= 3.9"
+requires-python = ">= 3.10"
 authors = [{ name = "Florian Felten", email = "ffelten@mavt.ethz.ch" }]
 license = { text = "GPL-3.0" }
 keywords = ["Mechanical Engineering", "Machine Learning", "AI", "Optimization"]
 classifiers = [
     "Development Status :: 4 - Beta",  # change to `5 - Production/Stable` when ready
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
@@ -113,9 +112,7 @@ exclude = [
 # Same as Black.
 line-length = 124
 indent-width = 4
-
-# Assume Python 3.9
-target-version = "py39"
+target-version = "py310"
 
 
 ######################################## LINTING ########################################
@@ -228,7 +225,7 @@ exclude = ["**/node_modules", "**/__pycache__", "**/templates/**", "**/study*",
 strict = []
 
 typeCheckingMode = "basic"
-pythonVersion = "3.9"
+pythonVersion = "3.10"
 pythonPlatform = "All"
 typeshedPath = "typeshed"
 enableTypeIgnoreComments = true