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Students in energy research Join us and put your knowledge into practice

Are you studying energy and environment or interested in this field? We offer a range of opportunities to gain hands-on experience, from bachelor and project work to master’s theses. You’ll also get insights into the Master’s program in Energy and Environment and potential career paths. Join us and put your knowledge into practice.

Master of Science in Energy & Environment

The Competence Center Thermal Energy Storage (CCTES) is closely linked to the Master of Science in Engineering, profile Energy & Environment, at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Four professors from our team act as advisors and offer a wide range of projects and Master’s theses within our research field.

You will work on real-world challenges such as:

  • thermal energy storafe for buildings and industry
  • phase change materials (PCM)
  • experimentalsystems and prototypes
  • modelling and simulation of energy systems

Interested in learning more about the Master's program? Click here

Student jobs

CCTES is an active and growing research environment:

  • more than 50 industry projects
  • a team of around 45 researchers
  • strong integration of student work across all levels 

In addition to Bachelor and Master projects, we are always looking for motivated and skilled students to join us as student assistants (HiWi / research assistants).
This is your opportunity to: 

  • gain hands-on experience in applied research
  • work closely with researchers and industry partners
  • contribute to real engineering solutions

If you are interested, please contact Karina or Isabel

Project Work (Bachelor, PAIND, Master)

A core element of our approach is the close connection between research and student work.
Each semester, we define a selection of topics that are directly embedded in our ongoing research projects. These topics are available for:

  • Master's theses
  • Bachelor's theses
  • industry-related student projects (PAIND)

This allows you to:

  • work on relevant, real-world problems
  • be part of a research team
  • create tangible impact with your work

If you are interested, feel free to reach out at any time to one of our professors, lecturers, or Karina.

Sofia Pinedo Montarelo talks about her thesis in a research project

Female student programming algorithms on PC.

Why did you write your thesis as part of a research project at the Competence Centrer Thermal Energy Storage?

During my studies, I became aware of how important energy storage technologies will be for the development of the energy sector. I was very interested in writing a thesis that would allow me to explore this aspect of energy consumption in a practical, hands-on way. As part of our studies, we receive a list of project proposals, which generally makes it easier to find an industry partner. I chose my topic from this list. What I found particularly exciting was that it addressed an existing real-world problem that an external company was already working on.

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What exactly was your thesis about?

My task was to use optimization algorithms to develop alternative solutions for dealing with the surplus electricity generated by a hydropower plant.

What does that mean?

The main challenge is that electricity is available at times when it cannot always be used profitably on site, while demand can remain high when local generation is lower. As part of the project, we modelled several possible solutions to adapt the city’s electricity distribution to its electricity consumption. I tested these solutions using an optimization algorithm.

What did you learn?

My thesis allowed me to apply topics I had already encountered in previous courses, such as Python programming, optimization algorithms, and system modelling. Applying these concepts in practice gave me a deeper understanding of them.

What was it like working with your supervisor Malin Siegwart?

Working with Malin was very interesting. She has extensive expertise in the topics covered by my thesis and provided me with valuable input. Her guidance and support throughout the project made it easier for me to get started with new concepts. What I particularly enjoyed were the discussions in which she challenged my ideas. Those were the moments when I felt I learned the most.