We enter all topics for scientific theses into the central TUM database Koinon. Please log in to the portal and filter the list according to our professorship.

As part of your bachelor's or master's thesis, you will work on current research questions that are of scientific and practical interest.

Bachelor's theses are usually theoretical in nature (to generate research questions and hypotheses). In most of the cases, we do not assign empirical bachelor's theses that involve data collection, analysis, and interpretation after consultation, as active work in the laboratory is very time-consuming.

Master's theses are usually empirical in nature and involve the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Theoretical theses are only assigned after consultation and typically involve a systematic meta-analysis of a current issue.

For theses that are predominantly theoretical in nature, we offer a joint discussion every four weeks. Please register for this in TUMonline under course number 2970000078 “Literature and Bioinformatic Theses: Scientific Colloquium for BSc and MSc.”

All practical master's students participate in our weekly science meeting (colloquium), where the progress of their thesis is presented. You will receive feedback that will help you improve the quality of your work. You can also ask questions that have arisen during the course of your work. Please register for this in TUMonline under course 2970000063 “Scientific Colloquium for Doctoral Students.” All master's theses must also be presented in this context or at another appropriate event (symposium, congress, etc.). If your examination regulations allow it, we accept theses in German or English.

If you are interested in one of our advertised topics, please send your application (short letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, certificates, and transcript of grades) by email to the relevant supervisor. To give you certainty in terms of content and timing, we will agree on an exposé or experimental plan and an outline of your thesis, before you register your thesis. These documents will show how you derive a research question from the current research literature and which approach you choose to answer the question.

Please also apply via the Koinon system if the advertised topic is listed there.

You can submit your own topic suggestions, provided that the following conditions are met:

1. The topic must be scientifically relevant across specific fields of application, i.e., your topic must be based on a gap in the research literature.
2. Formulation of research questions or hypotheses to be investigated empirically or in the form of a systematic review.
3. Definition of the study design (methodological approach) and time schedule for the empirical survey.
4. The proposed topic must fall within our research interests.

If you meet these conditions, please send us your application (see above) and an exposé or experimental plan (approx. 2 pages) with a description of the problem (including citations of relevant literature), the formulation of hypotheses, and the empirical approach. If you wish to complete your thesis in cooperation with an external partner, you must also provide confirmation from the partner that they will support your thesis (either in person or in writing to Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage). We will then review the applications. If the review is positive, a personal interview will take place with your supervisors, the respective practice partner (if relevant), and you (see above).

Important: In the context of cooperation with external partners, it is customary for the results to be summarized in a final presentation. Each graduate should therefore be prepared to give such a presentation.

Your thesis should address a question in the field of Execise Biology that is of both scientific and practical interest. When writing, you should follow the criteria developed for writing scientific articles.

Please refer to your respective study regulations for the course-related framework conditions of your thesis and discuss these with us before you begin your thesis. Citations should be used in accordance with the journal CELL, unless the respective study regulations stipulate otherwise. Different styles may be used after consultation with your supervisor. Bachelor's theses can be written in German or English; master's theses from international master's programs must be written in English. (Data collection in German-speaking countries is usually in German.) We recommend that all students take a basic and advanced library course, as we assume that you know how to research literature sources and how to handle sources (including literature management).

1. If you need a supervision agreement, please complete the supervision form: name, TUM ID, email, topic, internal start date.
2. Please submit the agreement to the relevant supervisor for signature.
3. Please register for our monthly colloquium in TUMonline, see section “3) How does supervision work at our chair?”
4. Coordinate directly with your supervisor when and under what title you would like to officially register your thesis.

The thesis is registered by the supervisor in the TUM Koinon system. To do this, you must provide your supervisor with your TUM email address and TUM ID. Once the registration is complete, you will receive an automated notification via the system.

When submitting your thesis, the following documents must be submitted, unless otherwise specified in the study regulations:

• Upload of the thesis as a PDF file in Koinon
• Electronic version of your thesis (MS Word or Word-compatible as well as PDF; at the chair)
• Electronic version of your final presentation (at the department)
• Raw data from the empirical survey (stimuli and data set; at the department)
• Endnote database with PDF files if possible (at the department)

When submitting your thesis, you must sign an affidavit. This confirms that the thesis was written independently and without outside help and that the sources used have been identified accordingly. We will check that the literature has been used correctly. Once the thesis has been graded, the result will be recorded in Koinon. The assessment will remain at the institute. You can request to view it from your supervisor.

To make managing your references easier, we recommend using a reference management program such as Endnote. Please back up your files regularly on your PC using a suitable program.

• Endnote reference management program: description and download
• Data security: LRZ Sync&Share