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Heidi Ursula H…

It's time for your master thesis!

Nuclear Fusion as a Building Block for Renewable Energy Systems

This master thesis addresses fundamental questions at the intersection of fusion research and energy system modelling:
How close is nuclear fusion to generating electricity that is economically competitive? What role could fusion play in a fully renewable energy system-backup capacity, hydrogen production, or bridging extended periods of low renewable output? Which technological components dominate costs, and where might potential savings enhance competitiveness?

Grafik mit Aufruf zur Masterarbeit

Master thesis: Nuclear Fusion as a Building Block for Renewable Energy Systems

Master thesis in Energy Systems Analysis

Nuclear Fusion as a Building Block for Renewable Energy Systems

This thesis addresses fundamental questions at the intersection of fusion research and energy system modelling:

How close is nuclear fusion to generating electricity that is economically competitive? What role could fusion play in a fully renewable energy system-backup capacity, hydrogen production, or bridging extended periods of low renewable output? Which technological components dominate costs, and where might potential savings enhance competitiveness?

We offer

  • Supervision by two researchers with expertise in optimization and energy systems

  • Access to an established energy system modeling framework at Forschungszentrum Jülich

  • Provision of well-structured, high-quality datasets

  • A highly relevant scientific topic with direct societal impact

Your profile

  • Applicants should be enrolled in mathematics, computer science, engineering (with a focus on energy systems), or a related field. We expect:
  • Knowledge of integer programming / MILP

  • Programming experience (Python, C++/Java, Julia, Rust, ...)

  • Experience with MILP solvers (Gurobi, AMPL, CPLEX, SCIP, JuMP, ...)

  • Basic understanding of physics and engineering concepts, ideally including the fundamentals of nuclear fusion

  • Motivation to implement ideas in practice: reading data, building and modifying integer programs, and conducting computational experiments

Further Information

Contact person

Portrait of Heidi Heinrichs-better solution

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heidi Ursula Heinrichs

Professor