Master thesis

Motivation

Increasing transport volumes paired with the need for sustainable transport modes gain relevance in achieving the climate goals of the European Union. However, existing rail infrastructure is highly utilised, and the expansion of this infrastructure is connected with high investments and long lead times. This is why it is necessary to increase the efficiency of rail-based freight transport. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving quickly with a broad set of possible applications in rail-based transport systems. It is, therefore, promising to increase the efficiency of rail-based freight transport. Even though recent literature has focused on the application of AI in railway systems (Tang et al., 2022), the dynamic development of AI technology is calling for a deeper understanding of the scientific literature on AI in railway systems. Moreover, a dedicated review of the application of AI for rail freight transport and the analysis of the transferability of findings from non-freight rail transport contexts are understudied.

Research goal

The aim of this thesis is, therefore, to build a fundamental understanding of AI and its applications in rail freight transport. The thesis should provide a structured overview of different types of AI and elaborate their application and limitations. Based on a structured internet research it should also provide an overview of exemplary use cases for AI from the rail freight industry. Based on a systematic literature review the thesis should identify and structure scientific literature that covers the usage of AI in rail-based transport and should discuss the transferability of findings from non-freight rail transport contexts.

Potential Research Questions

• Which types of AI exist and how are they already applied in real-world cases from the rail (freight) industry?
• What is the state of the scientific literature on the usage of AI in rail freight?
• How can AI use cases and findings be transferred to rail freight transport?

Literature

• Tang, R., De Donato, L., Bes̆Inović, N., Flammini, F., Goverde, R. M., Lin, Z., Liu, R., Tang, T., Vittorini, V., & Wang, Z. (2022). A literature review of Artificial Intelligence applications in railway systems. Transportation Research Part C Emerging Technologies, 140, 103679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2022.103679
• Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2017). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456x17723971
• Kitchenham, Barbara, and Stuart Charters. (2007). Guidelines for Performing Systematic Literature Reviews in Software Engineering.” In EBSE Technical Report, Software Engineering Group, School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Keele University, Department of Computer Science, University of Durham.

Conditions

If you are interested in writing this thesis, please send your transcript of records to Paul Bossong. In a meeting, the modalities and focus of the work can be discussed according to personal preferences.

Unternehmensführung und Logistik

Supervisor: Paul Bossong, M. Sc.

Bachelor thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik

Supervisor: M.Sc. Julian Wohlschlegel

Bachelor thesis

The thesis must be written in German.

Motivation

In großen Häfen wie Rotterdam, Singapur und Hamburg werden zunehmend digitale Technologien eingesetzt, um die Abwicklung von Containern und Informationen zu optimieren. Besonders attraktiv sind dabei Künstliche Intelligenz (KI), Blockchain und das Internet der Dinge (IoT) (Anwar et al., 2019). Die Verbesserung der Terminaleffizienz durch den Einsatz von KI ist ein zentrales Anliegen in der modernen Logistik. Terminals fungieren als Knotenpunkte im globalen Warenverkehr, und ihre Effizienz beeinflusst maßgeblich die gesamte Lieferkette. Die Untersuchung dieses Themas bietet nicht nur wissenschaftlichen Mehrwert, sondern hat auch praktische Relevanz für Unternehmen, die ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit steigern möchten.

Forschungsziel

Das Ziel dieser systematischen Übersicht besteht darin, vorhandene wissenschaftliche Literatur zur Anwendung von KI zur Verbesserung der Effizienz von Terminalprozessen zu analysieren. Dabei soll herausgearbeitet werden, welche spezifischen KI-Ansätze und -Methoden in Terminals bereits implementiert wurden, und welche potenziellen Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen auftreten.

Forschungsfragen

• Welche KI-Methoden und -Techniken werden derzeit zur Steigerung der Effizienz von Terminals eingesetzt?
• In welchen spezifischen Anwendungsbereichen innerhalb des Terminalbetriebs zeigt der Einsatz von KI besondere Vorteile?
• Welche Herausforderungen und Einschränkungen bestehen bei der Implementierung von KI in der Terminaleffizienzsteigerung?
• Welche Forschungslücken und Entwicklungsbedarfe bestehen im Bereich des KI-Einsatzes zur Effizienzsteigerung von Terminals?

Literatur

• Tsolakis, N., Zissis, D., Papaefthimiou, S., & Korfiatis, N. (2022). Towards AI driven environmental sustainability: an application of automated logistics in container port terminals. International Journal of Production Research, 60(14), 4508–4528. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2021.1914355
• Anwar, M., Henesey, L., & Casalicchio, E. (2019). Digitalization in Container Terminal Logistics: A Literature Review. In Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) (pp. 1–25). Athens, Greece. Retrieved from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1337559/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Gao, W. (2018). Analysis of Logistics Information Real-time Monitoring Model Based on Mobile Terminals. In Proceedings of the 2018 8th International Conference on Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (ICASET 2018) (pp. 33–37). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/icaset-18.2018.7

Rahmenbedingungen

Bei Interesse an der Abschlussarbeit schicken Sie bitte einen aktuellen Leistungsspiegel an Samira Ghaneian. In einem persönlichen Gespräch können die Modalitäten und der Fokus der Arbeit entsprechend der persönlichen Präferenzen besprochen werden.

Quelle

Anwar, M., Henesey, L., & Casalicchio, E. (2019). Digitalization in Container Terminal Logistics: A Literature Review. In Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) (pp. 1–25). Athens, Greece. Abgerufen von https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1337559/FULLTEXT01.pdf (opens in new tab)

Unternehmensführung und Logistik

Supervisor: Samira Ghaneian , M.Sc.

Master thesis

Motivation

Intermodal terminals are of critical importance within global logistics networks, functioning as hubs for the transfer of loading units, such as containers and semi-trailers, between different modes of transport, such as rail and road. The ability to make efficient decisions at these terminals is of paramount importance for the optimization of operations, reduction of costs and fulfilment of growing demand. As digitalization in the intermodal transport industry advances, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques offer new avenues for optimizing diverse terminal processes based on varied data. In particular, the optimization of container handling processes (loading, unloading and stacking) and terminal space utilization can result in a notable improvement in operational efficiency and throughput. Nevertheless, despite the considerable potential of data-based techniques in these areas, it is imperative to undertake a comprehensive review of their existing and possible applications for the decision-making support in intermodal terminals based on data technologies.

Objective

This thesis aims to conduct a systematic literature review to categorize and analyze the optimization problems in the intermodal terminals as well as the application of AI and ML in these decision-making processes. The study should identify prevalent methods, evaluate their current state, and discuss their potential and limitations of application to optimize terminal processes. Furthermore, the review should propose directions for future research, to contribute to the development of data-based decision-making and the efficiency improvement in intermodal terminals.

Literature

• Kitchenham, B./Charters, S. (2007): Guidelines for performing systematic literature Reviews in Software Engineering. In: Keele University and Durham University Joint Report, EBSE-2007-01
• Tsolaki, K., Vafeiadis, T., Nizamis, A., Ioannidis, D., & Tzovaras, D. (2023). Utilizing machine learning on freight transportation and logistics applications: A review. ICT Express, 9(3), 284-295

General Conditions

If you are interested in the thesis, please send a current transcript of records to Hongjun Wu. In a personal interview, the modalities and focus of the thesis can be discussed according to personal preferences.

Unternehmensführung und Logistik

Supervisor: Hongjun Wu, M.Sc.

Master thesis

Produktion und Supply Chain Management

Supervisors: Ali Heidari, M.Sc., Prof. Dr. Christoph Glock

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Overview

Agile methods, such as Scrum, have revolutionized software development, enabling faster delivery and higher quality products. Their success in small, co-located teams has driven organizations to adopt agile practices in large-scale settings, using frameworks such as SAFe and Scrum of Scrums. While a key objective of agile methods is reducing time to delivery—and agile teams are often evaluated on velocity—time-related aspects in agile ISD literature remain underexplored.

In scaled agile contexts, one critical temporal success factor is synchronization among agile development teams. However, we do not yet know how temporal synchronization occurs. What challenges hinder effective synchronization? Could factors like shared temporal cognition, temporal reflexivity, time consciousness, temporal coordination, or team polychronicity act as enablers for effective synchronization?

This thesis seeks to qualitatively and exploratively investigate the mechanisms and enablers of synchronization among agile software development teams operating in scaled-agile environments. The research methodology may involve qualitative interviews or one or more case studies.

Information Systems & E-Services

Supervisor: Dr. Lea Müller

Bachelor thesis

The thesis must be written in German.

Motivation

In der heutigen globalisierten Welt ist der Containerverkehr entscheidend für die effiziente Versorgung der Märkte und die wirtschaftliche Stabilität. Doch in den letzten Jahren haben unvorhersehbare Ereignisse wie die Corona-Pandemie, Bauunfälle auf der Rheintalbahn bei Rastatt oder Naturkatastrophen wie das Sturmtief „Friederike“ gezeigt, dass Transportketten immer häufiger von Störungen betroffen sind. Dabei steht die Resilienz der intermodalen Transportkette, die durch das Zusammenspiel verschiedener Akteure bestimmt wird, zunehmend unter Druck. Terminals spielen in diesem Kontext eine besonders zentrale Rolle: Als Knotenpunkte intermodaler Transportketten sind sie der Dreh- und Angelpunkt für den Umschlag zwischen unterschiedlichen Verkehrsträgern. Ihre Fähigkeit, den Betrieb flexibel und schnell an unvorhersehbare Ereignisse anzupassen, ist entscheidend, um die gesamte Lieferkette aufrechtzuerhalten. Angesichts der zunehmenden Herausforderungen, oft verstärkt durch den Klimawandel, wird es immer wichtiger, Terminals zukunftsfähig und anpassungsfähig zu gestalten, um die Resilienz und Nachhaltigkeit globaler Transportketten zu gewährleisten.

Zielsetzung

Ziel der Bachelorarbeit ist es, anhand einer systematischen Literaturanalyse aktuelle Forschungsthemen im Bereich Resilienz von intermodalen Terminals zu identifizieren. Die identifizierten Forschungsthemen sollen analysiert und kategorisiert werden, um ein umfassendes Verständnis der derzeitigen wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema zu gewinnen. Darüber hinaus sollen zudem erste Ansätze entwickelt werden, wie intermodale Terminals auf unvorhergesehene Ereignisse reagieren können, um Resilienz zu bewahren.

Literatur

• Kitchenham, B.A. and S. Charters (2007) Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering, Technical Report EBSE-2007-01, School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Keele University.
• Nikola Bešinović (2020) Resilience in railway transport systems: a literature review and research agenda, Transport Reviews, 40:4, 457-478, DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2020.1728419
• Kurapati, S., Lukosch, H., Verbraeck, A. et al.(2015) Improving resilience in intermodal transport operations in seaports: a gaming approach. EURO J Decis Process 3, 375–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40070-015-0047-z
• Mattsson, L. & Jenelius, E. (2015). Vulnerability and resilience of transport systems – A discussion of recent research. Transportation Research Part A: Policy And Practice, 81, 16–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.06.002
• Shi, J., Chen, J., Xu, L., Di, Z., & Qu, Q. (2023). Improving the resilience of maritime supply chains: The integration of ports and inland transporters in duopoly markets. Frontiers of Engineering Management, 10(1), 51-66.

Rahmenbedingungen

Bei Interesse an der Abschlussarbeit schicken Sie bitte einen aktuellen Leistungsspiegel an Ren Kajiyama. In einem persönlichen Gespräch können die Modalitäten und der Fokus der Arbeit entsprechend der persönlichen Präferenzen besprochen werden.

Unternehmensführung und Logistik

Supervisor: Ren Kajiyama, M.Sc.

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit, Master thesis (15 CP)

Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit, Master thesis (15 CP), Master thesis (30 CP)

Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement

Bachelor thesis

Gründungsmanagement

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Carolin Bock, Dr. Norbert Linn

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Produktion und Supply Chain Management

Supervisors: Julian Best, M.Sc., Prof. Dr. Christoph Glock

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Produktion und Supply Chain Management

Supervisors: Julian Best, M.Sc., Prof. Dr. Christoph Glock

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Produktion und Supply Chain Management

Supervisors: Julian Best, M.Sc., Prof. Dr. Christoph Glock

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit, Master thesis (15 CP), Master thesis (30 CP)

Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement

Supervisor: Christian Tschiedel, M.Sc.

Master thesis

Overview

Demand forecasting in the context of supply chain management within the automotive aftermarket industry is a pivotal success driver for achieving optimal efficiency in capital utilization while upholding delivery service levels to ensure maximal customer satisfaction.

In this regard, alongside classical statistical, time series, and regression methods, there is an increasing utilization of machine learning and deep learning algorithms for demand forecasting. These advanced methods facilitate a more efficient demand planning process. Recent developments in various streams of research literature document the growing scientific interest in machine learning and deep learning methods.

Information Systems & E-Services

Supervisor: Christopher Diebel, M.Sc.

Master thesis, Master thesis (30 CP)

Problem: Hypothetical Bias refers to the phenomenon where individuals behave differently in hypothetical decision-making situations compared to real ones, where actual consequences are involved. This presents a challenge, as individual preferences collected in surveys or experiments may not reflect real-world decisions, leading to inaccurate predictions and potential misjudgments. Various methods have been developed to reduce this bias.

Objective: This master's thesis aims to combine an in-depth review of the relevant literature on Hypothetical Bias with the development of a method to minimize it in experimental and survey settings. In collaboration with the behavioral market research start-up Aybee, you will have the opportunity to implement and test the developed approaches. These methods will be validated through A/B testing to more accurately capture real-world decision-making processes.

This thesis is supervised in cooperation with Aybee GmbH.

Interested in this thesis? Please send your application including your CV, transcript of records and short letter to Léonie Lange.

Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis (30 CP)

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Adrian Glauben, M.Sc.

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) social platforms such as Discord are tools or services for voice, video, and text communication whose main purpose is to enable users to meet friends or join communities. VoIP social platforms have gained a lot of popularity in recent years. For instance, Discord has over 100 million monthly users and keeps growing. Over 50 percent of their users are between 25-34 years old.

However, while the popularity of VoIP social platforms makes it easier than ever to connect with friends, depression and loneliness are growing social challenges, especially for people under 30. Recent studies have already demonstrated that social media platforms can be one of many reasons for that trend.

The aim of this topic is to investigate a possible connection between these two trends, in particular, to investigate how the regular use of VoIP social platforms affects users' wellbeing.

You would like to be part of this research project?

Reach out to me (diebel@ise.tu-…) with…

… your recent transcript of records (from TUCaN)

… your curriculum vitae (CV)

… your planed start date

It would be also great if you could share any potential relevant skills for our joint work, e.g., experience in research, coding skills, etc. You can write the thesis in English (preferred) or German.

Information Systems & E-Services

Bachelor thesis

Due to the growing global container trade, efficient handling of containers is essential. To optimize the performance of terminals, efficient container relocation (reshuffle) is crucial, especially in intermodal terminals where container relocation plays an important role. Therefore, this work aims to employ the beam search method (or branch-and-bound method) to achieve the minimum number of container relocations.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Setareh Behzadi, M.Sc.

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Efficient container relocation, or reshuffling, is important for terminal yard management, especially with the increasing global volume of containerized trade. To solve the container relocation problem in intermodal terminals, this work focuses on a simple yard structure and aims to investigate the application of reinforcement learning, especially the Q-learning method. The results, such as the relocation rate, will be assessed using a heuristic approach.

* Previous knowledge of Python and reinforcement learning methods is mandatory.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Setareh Behzadi, M.Sc.

Bachelor thesis

The growing global container trade requires efficient handling and transportation of terminal containers to optimize the performance of inland container terminals and ports. As the demand for fast, efficient transshipment of terminal containers increases, innovative approaches are needed to improve measures such as task completion time, energy consumption, and overall operational efficiency. In multimodal terminals, the cranes generally serve the container ships, trucks, rail, and stacking areas. Unproductive movements of the cranes, for example in container relocation (reshuffling), should be minimized to improve the efficiency of the terminal. Intelligent methods such as machine/reinforcement learning can provide potential solutions. Therefore, this work aims to review the existing literature and develop innovative solutions for managing container relocation.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Setareh Behzadi, M.Sc.

Master thesis

Gründungsmanagement

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Anna Maria Schätzle, M.Sc.

Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Anna Maria Schätzle, M.Sc.

Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Anna Maria Schätzle, M.Sc.

Master thesis

The aim of the thesis is to understand the concept of Benders Decomposition and to apply it to the delivery of customer goods on the last mile, making use of the concept “vans and robots”. Hereby, the work of Alfandari et al. (2022) sould be understood and slightly extended.

Literature: Alfandari, L.; Ljubić, I.; da Silva, M.D.M. (2022): A tailored Benders decomposition approach for last-mile delivery with autonomous robots. European Journal of Operational Research, 299(2), 510-525.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Felix Weidinger

Bachelor thesis

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) as well as the Branch-and-Bound procedure (B&B) are both classics in Operations Research, tackled in many courses at different universities. The goal of this thesis is to develop a demonstrator which applies B&B to the TSP, using some simple bounds and branching schemes. The algorithm, hereby, needs to be visualized in a suitable manner, such that it can be used for educational purposes. The goal is to provide the demonstrator as an Open Educational Resource, ultimately, such that the outcome of the thesis can be used freely in any Operations Research course.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Felix Weidinger

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

The steady growth of the e-commerce industry, especially fuled by the pandemic, puts increased pressure on various warehouse operations. One potential approach to increase order picking efficiency is to reduce picker walking distances. The unique feature in mixed shelves storage warehouses is that items to be picked can be located in multiple storage positions in the warehouse. This results in a multi-layered optimization problem: Suitable positions must be selected as well as the shortest route between them has to be found. The goal of this thesis is to develop a heuristic solution for the picker routing problem in mixed shelves storage warehouses, to implement it and to test it against existing methods.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Constantin Wildt, M.Sc.

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis, Master thesis (30 CP)

Your task is to replicate the coding of an existing agent-based model using the platform Repast Simphony, or to code your model of choice using the platform Repast Simphony and analyse it. For the latter option, you may choose a textbook model you learned about during your studies, or a topic from another area of interest.

If you are interested please contact Michael Neugart via michael.neugart@tu-….

Finanzwissenschaft und Wirtschaftspolitik

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michael Neugart

Master thesis, Master thesis (30 CP)

Your task is to replicate an empirical research paper with the data used in the original publication and add further robustness analyses, or to replicate the research paper using similar data, e.g. from another country.

Guide for replication studies (opens in new tab)

If you are interested please contact Darius Griebenow via darius.griebenow@tu-… or Michael Neugart via michael.neugart@tu-…

Supervisor: Darius Griebenow (M. Sc.) or Prof. Dr. Michael Neugart

Finanzwissenschaft und Wirtschaftspolitik

Bachelor thesis

Decentralised acting cleaning robots usually operate on a static rule set. The aim of this work is to simulate different rule sets in different environments and to identify reasonable rules. Knowledge of implementation or the willingness to learn is a requirement for this.

Interested in this topic? Please use the application form on our website!

Management Science / Operations Research

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Felix Weidinger

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Mariska Fecho, M.Sc.

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Announcement as PDF

Master thesis

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisors: Dr. Amina Wagner, Anne Zöll, M.Sc.

Announcement as PDF

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis (15 CP)

Wirtschaftsinformatik | Software & Digital Business

Supervisor: Dr. Nihal Wahl

Master thesis

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Simon Emde

Bachelor thesis, Studienarbeit

Zivilrecht, Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht sowie Recht der Informationsgesellschaft

Supervisors: Dr. jur. Anna-Lena Fehr, geb. Wirz, RA Matthias Prinz

Bachelor thesis, Studienarbeit

Supervisors: Dr. jur. Anna-Lena Fehr, geb. Wirz, RA Matthias Prinz

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit

Supervisor: Dipl.-Phys. Tobias Bier

Bachelor thesis, Master thesis, Studienarbeit, Diploma thesis

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Buxmann

Announcement as PDF