A topology optimization method is proposed for transient response problems involving thermoelastic models, where the objective is to optimize the structure considering time-dependent dynamic and thermal loads. The proposed method can be applied to problems involving thermal deformation and stress, which damage heated machine parts. This paper presents a transient response analysis of a thermoelastic model subjected to mechanical and thermal loads having arbitrary profiles with respect to time. This can be formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem to obtain a structure that minimizes the deformation and maximum stress. A sensitivity analysis was conducted by using the adjoint variable method and the discretize-then-differentiate approach. The proposed method was applied to numerical examples for validation. •A topology optimization method considering transient response is presented.•The objective is to optimize the structure considering time-dependent loads.•The discretize-then-differentiate approach is used in the sensitivity analysis.