diff --git a/tidy3d/components/data/data_array.py b/tidy3d/components/data/data_array.py
index 203194f80b..2c722b454a 100644
--- a/tidy3d/components/data/data_array.py
+++ b/tidy3d/components/data/data_array.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
     WATT,
 )
 from ...exceptions import DataError, FileError
+from ...log import log
 from ..autograd import TidyArrayBox, get_static, interpn, is_tidy_box
 from ..types import Axis, Bound
 
@@ -125,6 +126,12 @@ def _interp_validator(self, field_name: str = None) -> None:
         This does not check every 'DataArray' by default. Instead, when required, this check can be
         called from a validator, as is the case with 'CustomMedium' and 'CustomFieldSource'.
         """
+        import importlib.util
+
+        if importlib.util.find_spec("scipy") is None:
+            log.warning("SciPy not installed, skipping '_interp_validator'...")
+            return
+
         if field_name is None:
             field_name = "DataArray"
 
diff --git a/tidy3d/components/geometry/mesh.py b/tidy3d/components/geometry/mesh.py
index 0f300e8106..79e844382a 100644
--- a/tidy3d/components/geometry/mesh.py
+++ b/tidy3d/components/geometry/mesh.py
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ def _check_mesh(cls, val: TriangleMeshDataset) -> TriangleMeshDataset:
         if val is None:
             return None
 
+        import importlib.util
+
+        if importlib.util.find_spec("trimesh") is None:
+            log.warning("trimesh not installed, skipping '_check_mesh'...")
+            return val
+
         import trimesh
 
         mesh = cls._triangles_to_trimesh(val.surface_mesh)