Student assistant jobs
Final Theses
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis:
In the context of this student research project, a pilot plant will be operated. This includes the preparation of feed mixtures, the analysis of samples in the laboratory, the independent planning and execution of short and long-term experiments in the pilot plant as well as the evaluation of the results with the help of the programs LabVIEW and modelling using Pyomo.
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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.
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Master’s thesis:
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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: Influence of ultrasound on the functional properties of vegetable protein films (f/m/d)
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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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Bachelor’s thesis: Enhancement of materials properties of biobased thermopasts through reactive extrusion – optimization of conditions and materials testing (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s thesis: Aerogels from biobased polymers – optimization of production and materials testing (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Synthetic, tacticity-tailored polyesters as additives for thermoplasts – extrusion, injection molding and materials testing (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s thesis: Synthesis of tacticity-tailored polyesters – scale-up of monomer synthesis, controlled polymerization and product analysis (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Thermoplastic processing of vegetable protein (process development, production of test specimens, material characterization) (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: Aerogel composite materials from bio(based) polymers – screening of incorporation techniques, production & materials testing (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Enhancement of materials properties of biobased thermoplasts through reactive extrusion – synthesis of reagents, optimization of conditions and materials testing (f/m/d)
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Master’s thesis: Spatial asymmetry in synthetic polyester’s tacticity by exploiting reaction kinetics – kinetic study, synthesis, chemical analysis and material properties (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/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:
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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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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: LCA in reusable packaging in cooperation with Vytal (f/m/d)
Background
Single-use packaging in the food and beverage sector contributes significantly to environmental impacts, especially at large public events. Reusable packaging systems offer a promising alternative to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the environmental benefits of reusable systems depend on various factors such as return rates, cleaning logistics, and transport distances. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can help to evaluate these factors and identify environmental trade-offs and optimization potentials.
Research Challenge
During the Christmas market in Konstanz, around 40 gastronomy partners offered food and beverages using a reusable packaging system over four weeks. The packaging system was operated by Vytal, a leading provider of packaging-as-a-service solutions. The goal of this master’s thesis is to conduct a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the reusable system and explore opportunities to optimize the environmental impact through sensitivity analyses based on real usage data, including transport distances for washing logistics.
Your Tasks
- Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the reusable packaging system used at the Christmas market in Konstanz
- Identify key environmental hotspots and levers for improvement
- Optional: Explore optimization scenarios using sensitivity analyses
Requirements
- Excellent student with a background in environmental sciences, engineering, sustainability management, or related disciplines
- Enrolled at TUM School of Life Sciences, TUM School of Management, or TUM Campus Straubing,
- Strong interest in sustainability, circular economy, and quantitative environmental assessments,
- Experience or coursework in LCA and/or environmental modeling (e.g. with OpenLCA or similar tools),
- Fluency in English (German is a plus due to stakeholder communication).
Contact Person
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: First C2C Inspired Landesgartenschau: Energy and Material Flow Analysis as an Assessment Framework for Circular Economy Practices (Life Cycle Assessment, Energy Efficiency, Carbon Footprint) (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: Making Sustainability Measurable – Development of Indicators for Assessing the Landesgartenschau in the Context of the SDGs (f/m/d)
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Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis: The C2C Landesgartenschau as a Temporary Living Lab for Sustainable Urban Development: Dynamics, Collaborations, and the Impact of Actor Networks (Optionally in Retrospective) (f/m/d)
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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
