Master Thesis - Prospective economic assessment of industrial biotechnologies

The transformation of production routes in the chemical industry is one of the major challenges on the path to a more sustainable and bio-based future. At the Institute of Climate and Energy Systems – Jülich System Analysis (ICE-2) in collaboration with TH Köln, we use various modeling approaches to investigate the impact of new technologies on the different dimensions of sustainability. Join our international research team and look with us at the current and future design possibilities of bio-based production processes for the chemical industry. Your work will not only enable you to provide assessments of potential industrial biotechnologies, but also give an insight into interdisciplinary collaboration in our research. Help us provide guidance for technology developers, industry, and society for a more sustainable future.

Your Job

• Identification of possible economic evaluation methods for industrial biotechnology production processes
• Definition of method-specific objectives and framework conditions
• Evaluation of the suitability of identified methods for prospective analysis (options for scenarios, forecasts, regionalization, etc., if possible)
• Development of an integration approach in combination with environmental assessment methods (life cycle assessment)
• Application of the developed approach to a specific industrial biotechnology production process as part of a research project

Your Profile

• You are enrolled in a master's program in industrial engineering, process engineering, economics, or related fields
• Ideally, you have prior knowledge of the chemical industry or industrial biotechnology as well as sustainability assessment
• You enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration
• You like to work independently and bring a reliable, conscientious, and analytical approach to your work

Our Benefits for You

We work on the latest innovative topics and offer you the opportunity to actively shape change! What we offer:

• Meaningful Research: Your thesis deals with a future-oriented, socially relevant topic with direct practical relevance in an international environment
• Practical Experience: With us, you will gain valuable practical experience alongside your studies and actively participate in interdisciplinary projects
• Scientific Environment with Advanced Equipment: You can expect excellent scientific equipment, modern technologies, and qualified support from experienced colleagues
• Independent Work: You organize your tasks independently—from preparation to implementation
• Onboarding & Teamwork: You can look forward to working in a dedicated, international, and collegial team. It is important to us that you quickly settle into the team and are given structured training for your tasks. We also support you from the very beginning and make your start easier with our Welcome Days and Welcome Guide: https://go.fzj.de/welcome
• Work-Life Balance: We offer flexible working hours to help you balance your professional and personal life. You also have the option of flexible working (in terms of location), which is generally possible after consultation and in line with upcoming tasks and (on-site) appointments
• Flexibility: Flexible working hours make it easier for you to balance work and study
• Fair Remuneration: We will pay you a reasonable remuneration for your thesis

In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more:

https://go.fzj.de/benefits

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities:

https://go.fzj.de/equality

and on specific support options for women: https://go.fzj.de/womens-job-journey

• International applicants can find more information here: https://go.fzj.de/job-journey-internationals

Place of Employment: Jülich

Start Date: To the next possible date

Salary: We will pay you a appropriate remunerationfor your thesis

Application Deadline: The position will be published until it is successfully filled

Index number: 2026M-0856

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