Jobs and Theses
Student assistant jobs
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The employment is set to start as soon as possible. The maximum weekly working time is 8 hours. The salary will be based on tariff agreements.
Objectives of the tasks:
- Support in taking notes and conduction of focus groups
- Literature research
- Support in data preparation and analysis
Your qualification:
- You are currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree
- Independent and reliable work
- Very good German language skills
- Availability for on-site work in Straubing
Working hours can be arranged flexibly and suitable activities can also be worked on in the home office. A suitable computer workstation at the TUM Campus Straubing could be provided if wanted.
If interested, please send your CV by email, mentioning the reference “SHKMNR” to Estelle Blättermann (estelle.blaettermann@hswt.de) or Katrin Brückner (katrin.brueckner@hswt.de).
Contact Person
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The Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment is looking for Student Assistants (f/m/d)
22.07.2026
The Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment is looking for Student Assistants (m/w/d)General conditions
- Student at TUM Campus Straubing
- 10 hours per week
- Duration: 3 - 6 months
- Start: 01 October 2026
Tasks
- Preparation and revision of lecture notes of the modules “Sustainable Production” and “LCA Lab”
- Integration of further digital, interactive elements in the modules
- Support in project work, such as statistical data analysis, report writing etc.
- Support with our CirculaTUM network, e.g. event organization, member administration, LinkedIn posts etc.
- Skills and qualifications needed
- Confident use of MS Office software (especially PowerPoint) and Canva
- Expertise in the professional design and formatting of presentations, reports and other communication materials
- Good self-organizational and time management skills, quick perception
- Reliable work attitude, high degree of responsibility, flexibility and ability to work in a team
- Careful, conscientious and independent way of working
- Remote work partially possible, on-site presence in Straubing partially required
- High level of English proficiency, German level of at least B2
Application
We look forward to receiving your application documents (CV, cover letter, transcript of records). Please send them
by e-mail to Vanessa Heinrich (vanessa.heinrich@tum.de) by 14.08.2026 at the latest. You are welcome to contact
us in advance if you have any questions.
Contact
Vanessa Heinrich
Am Essigberg 3, 94315 Straubing
Phone: +49 9421 187 193
vanessa.heinrich(at)tum.de
Technical University Munich
Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment
cec.cs.tum.de/de/
www.tum.de
Final Theses
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Master’s thesis:
This project aims to build and evaluate a lab-scale electrochemical flow reactor for the synthesis of dry formaldehyde from anhydrous methanol. The work includes reactor construction, commissioning, and performance analysis under varying electrolyte concentrations and current densities.
Contact Person
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Master’s thesis:
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Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s thesis: Swelling/solubility/barrier properties of cottonide to different media (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s thesis: Optimization of Cottonid as a fire protection layer (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s thesis: Determination of environmental influences on different biogenic materials (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Development of a “soft robot prototype” made of cellulose-based materials (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Design of a bicycle helmet based on renewable raw materials (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Production of novel bio-based bilayer actuators for various applications (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Optimization of the manufacturing process of a wood-wood composite (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
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Master’s thesis:
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Comparison of the Sustainability Impacts of the Straubing Bring-in-Packaging Waste system vs. the Yellow Bin Approach. (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Circular Carbon Economy (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Assessing Carbon Capture and Utilisation Technologies (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Comparative Assessment of Chemical Recycling Technologies (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Assessing Micro-algae-based Chemicals Production (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Potentials and limits of Bio-Naphta Production (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Circular Economy and Growth (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Serological Glass Pipettes in Wet Labs to Increase Sustainability in Life Science Research (f/m/d)
Background
Life science research is essential for advancing our understanding of living organisms and their processes, ultimately improving health, advancing technology, and addressing environmental challenges. Yet, involved research activities consume significant resources and generate substantial waste. “Wet labs” are laboratories that are specifically designed for conducting experiments that involve handling of liquids, biological materials, chemical etc. Typically wet labs use much more energy and water than office spaces and the generated plastic waste is connected to a plethora of environmental impacts. One central consumable used daily are serological pipettes which transfer and measure exact volumes of different types of biological and chemical solutions. They are available in two configurations, as single-use plastic or reusable glass pipettes. Reusable serological glass pipettes are known for their chemical resistance but require energy-intensive cleaning processes such as autoclaving. In contrast, single-use serological plastic pipettes are valued for their convenience and reduced contamination risk.
Methods- Compare the environmental impacts of both pipette types in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Key metrics include climate change impacts, water use, energy consumption, and waste generation, among others
- Perform an economic analysis to evaluate daily costs for the users
Requirements- Ideally first experience with or background knowledge of the LCA method
- Quick wit
- Willingness to travel to both sites, Munich and Straubing, and to observe the pipette use in the wet labs
- Strong communication skills to collect data for the life cycle inventory (LCI)
- Structured way of working
Contact Person
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Master’s thesis:
This research project explores whether it is environmentally and economically worthwhile to invest in advanced mechanical recycling processes and novel material design for recycling. These two intervention pathways aim to improve the quality and value of recycled plastics, but they might come with higher material and processing costs. The student will assess these trade-offs by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, focusing on the application and refinement of the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF), and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). The project will be applied to a case-study for mono-material polyolefin films. The main goal would be to define an optimum point (e.g., BEP) between costs and benefits of such interventions. The project will also consider Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees, recyclate market value, packaging prices, infrastructure costs, with considerations on scalability and market volumes.
The master's thesis will be supervised externally by Nestlé Research (Nestle Institute of Packaging Science) as part of a six-month internship (on-site) in Lausaunne, Switzerland.
Please submit your CV before the deadline (01.03.2026) to Valeria Frigerio (Valeria.Frigerio@rd.nestle.com) and Elisabet
Keisia Sumarjadi (ElisabetKeisia.Sumarjadi@rd.nestle.com).
Contact Person
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Master’s thesis:
In high-performance applications requiring excellent fire resistance and thermal stability, conventional phenolic
resins still dominate the market. Although these materials are technically reliable, they are neither sustainable nor
non-toxic. This is where RenewPoly, a young EXIST-funded startup from TUM, comes in. We develop novel,
bio-based, and non-toxic resin systems designed to replace fossil-based phenolic resins—particularly in applications
where high flame-retardant performance is crucial—while maintaining strength, stability, and processability.
We are looking for a motivated Master’s student to support ongoing research on novel sustainable thermosetting
resins for advanced composite applications. Within this project, a newly developed flexible, bio-based resin system
(FlexFuran) will be investigated an alternative sustainable resin for the manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites
for lightweight and high-performance structures.
The goal of this work is to evaluate the environmental performance of the FlexFuran resin system through a
comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The study will compare the bio-based system with conventional
phenolic resins, identifying environmental benefits, trade-offs, and key impact drivers across the life cycle.
Contact Person