Master's thesis
Applied Computational Life Sciences
The Master’s thesis is the scientific core of your studies. Through the thesis you not only demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but also the ability to successfully integrate into a research group and expand your knowledge in your specific field of scientific expertise.
- You choose your specialist courses with a view to the topic of your thesis, which you determine before starting your studies.
- Based on the theoretical foundations of the study programme, you answer a specific question in this research field.
- You work out solutions that are relevant for research, industry and society, often in co-operation with national and international partners.
- Depending on your topic, you work in a research group at the ZHAW in Wädenswil or externally with an industrial or research partner.
Choose your field of interest
The Master’s thesis is the scientific core of your studies. Through the thesis you not only demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but also the ability to successfully integrate into a research group and expand your knowledge in your specific field of scientific expertise.
- You choose your specialist courses with a view to the topic of your thesis, which you determine before starting your studies.
- Based on the theoretical foundations of the study programme, you answer a specific question in this research field.
- You work out solutions that are relevant for research, industry and society, often in co-operation with national and international partners.
- Depending on your topic, you work in a research group at the ZHAW in Wädenswil or externally with an industrial or research partner.
Industry Collaborations
Depending on your topic, you work in a research group at the ZHAW in Wädenswil or externally with an industrial or research partner. In any case, you have a local thesis advisor at ZHAW. Ask our advisors about possible industry collaborations. In the thesis Market-Place you find a list with some possible thesis topics and collaboration partners.
Fields of Interest

Computational Genomics
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Computational Genomics (IAS) | Maria Anisimova |
|
Computational Genomics (IAS) | Manuel Gil |
data integration |
Computational Genomics (IAS) | Victor Garcia |
applied computational genomics |
Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (IUNR) |
Theo Smits |
|
Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (IUNR) |
Joël Pothier |
|

Computational Chemistry
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Olivier Merlo |
|
Section for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry (ICBT) |
Stefan Höck |
abstractions in cheminformatics in tactically typed, purely functional programming languages (i.e. Haskell) |
Biomedical Simulation (IAS) | Simone Ulzega |
|

Biotechnological Processes
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Biosystems Technology (ICBT) | Christin Peters |
|
Centre vor Analytical Chemistry (ICBT) | Caspar Demuth |
for bioprocesses |
Bioprocess Technology Research Group (ICBT) |
Lukas Neutsch |
and soft-sensors for real-time bioprocess control and optimization physiology-related process data for quality assurance in biopharmaceutical production data processing environments and workflows (R Studio, programmable process control systems) in life science laboratories with fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy |
Biochemical Engineering (ICBT) | Sören Werner |
Optimization of standard and single-use bioreactors; Development of new stirrer geometries; Understand flow behavior for biotech and biomedical devices measurement of fluid velocities Measurement of gas mass transfer; Measurement of shear strain |
Chemical Engineering (ICBT) | Judith Krautwald |
and biotechnology real plant processes environmental science and production of bioenergy methanation processes |
Chemical Engineering (ICBT) | Peter Riedlberger |
|
Biomedical Simulation (IAS) | Sven Hirsch |
|
Microbiology and Molecular Biology (ICBT) |
Martin Sievers |
|

Digital Health, Biology and Neuroscience
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Biomedical Simulation (IAS) | Sven Hirsch |
|
Biomedical Simulation (IAS) | Georg Spinner |
|
Biomedical Simulation (IAS) | Claus Horn |
sequencial data using reinforcement learning and deep learning |
Medical Physics (Dep. T) | Stephan Scheidegger |
dynamics of cancer in vitro and in vivo |
Hospitality Management Competency Group (IFM) |
Nicole Gerber |
interpendencies in hospitals and healthcare organisations |
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Thomas Ott |
biological dynamics |
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Stefan Glüge |
|
Knowledge Engineering (IAS) | Robert Vorburger |
|
Predictive Analytics (IAS) | Krzysztof Kryszczuk |
temperature sensor |
Biomedical Engineering (Dept. T) | Daniel Baumgartner |
|
Applied Complex Systems Science (Dept. T) |
Ruedi Füchslin |
life-like systems |

Applications in Food Industry
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Simulation and Optimisation (IAS) | Lukas Hollenstein |
complex processes in production using discrete-event simulation and data analytics |
Institute for Applied Simulation (IAS) | Marcel Burkhard |
the swiss food industry selected goods |
Center for Food Safety and Quality Management, Food Microbiology (ILGI) |
Lars Fieseler |
sequences and phage derived proteins |
Center for Food Processing and Packaging (ILGI) |
Selçuk Yildirim |
of food and packaged food |
Research Group Food Technology (ILGI) | Nadina Müller |
their impact of end product quality digitalisation of food processing |

Applications in Environment and Agriculture
Research Group/Collaborations with | People | Interests |
---|---|---|
Geoinformatics research group (IUNR) | Patrick Laube |
|
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Martin Schüle |
environmental sciences and finance |
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Thomas Ott |
|
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Ivo Kaelin |
activity in freshwater samples |
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Matthias Nyfeler |
|
Bio-Inspired Modeling and Learning Systems (IAS) |
Claus Horn |
sequencial data using reinforcement learning and deep learning |
Agricultural and Resource Economics Group (IUNR) |
Raushan Bokusheva |
assessing the impact of climate change in agriculture |
Agricultural and Resource Economics Group (IUNR) |
Martina Bozzola |
(supervisor has access to large panel dataset from Europe and Eastern and Southern Africa) |
Environmental Biotechnology (ICBT) | Martin Kühni |
and production of bioenergy |
Environmental Biotechnology (ICBT) | Hans-Joachim Nägele |
|
Research Group Ecotechnology (IUNR) | Andreas Schönborn |
collaboration with a startup for the evaluation of microcontaminants in food, plastics and the environment |

Master Thesis Topics with Full Description
The table above lists thesis supervisors and their fields of interest. All these supervisors provide thesis topics. You can get in touch with them to learn more about their topics. In the following you find a small selection of topics with full description:
Effect-based Trace Analytics of Toxic Substances leveraging Native Cloud Computing Services (Cognitive Services, AI and ML) (PDF 499,9 KB), Supervisor: Andreas Schönborn (INUR)
Exploring the effectiveness of cancer-immunotherapies for non-small lung cancer (PDF 527,0 KB), Supervisor: Victor Garcia (IAS)
How does an ancient protein expression regulation mechanism affect how the choice of codons in DNA (PDF 502,5 KB), Supervisor: Victor Garcia (IAS)


Completed Master Theses
Year of Graduation | Student | Title | Advisor |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Delucchi Matteo | Tandem Repeat Variation in Genomic Databases | Maria Anisimova (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Gygax Gregory | Smart Algorithms for Efficient Yield Forecasting | Thomas Ott (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Kaufmann Moritz | Evolution of multidrug resistance in pEL60 plasmids | Theo Smits (ZHAW, IUNR) |
2019 | Meier Patrick | A mathematical model to describe the relationship between the unfolded protein response (UPR) and production of recombinant proteins in the yeast Pichia pastoris | Sven Hirsch (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Naef Paulina | Optimizing of the Tandem Repeat Annotation Library (TRAL) and Copy Number Variations of Tandem Repeats in RNAseq Illumina Data | Maria Anisimova (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Peechatt Jithin Mathew | Characterisation of Bias and Variance of Progressive Sequence Alignment | Manuel Gil (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Schiling Daniel | Geoinformatics methods for a better understanding of wildlife-caused traffic accidents in the Cantons of Zurich (Switzerland) | Patrick Laube (ZHAW, IUNR) |
2019 | Selvaratnam Laksathan | Understanding cerebrovascular pathologies within the Circle of Willis using 0D flow network simulations | Sven Hirsch (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Siegrist Jonas Aaron | Genome mining of polyketide and nonribosomal peptide synthases in actinomycetes | Martin Sievers (ZHAW, ICBT) |
2019 | Ta Cam Phuong | Estimating Insertion and Deletion Parameters from Pairwise Sequence Alignments | Manuel Gil (ZHAW, IAS) |
2019 | Weichart Sonja | Continued development of an online application for the use in microbial batch cultures: Planning and simulation of experiments and data analysis and management | Robert Vorburger (ZHAW, IAS) |
This might also interest you
Registration MSc Life Sciences
You can register here. The deadlines are 30 April and 31 October.
MSLS Community Centre
You are invited to browse the Moodle platform of the Cooperation Master in Life Sciences (MSLS)!
Studies A-Z
From notification of absences to railway season tickets (SBB GA) to community services - everything at a glance.
Registration MSc Life Sciences
MSLS Community Centre
Studies A-Z
You can register here. The deadlines are 30 April and 31 October.
You are invited to browse the Moodle platform of the Cooperation Master in Life Sciences (MSLS)!
From notification of absences to railway season tickets (SBB GA) to community services - everything at a glance.