Possible BSc and MSc Thesis Topics
Below you find a list of possible topics for BSc and MSc theses in our group.
Feel free to contact us for further project ideas.
Contacts:
Dr. Nicolas Bukowiecki
Prof. Dr. Markus Kalberer
Dr. Stavros Stagakis
Dr. Christian Feigenwinter
Dr. Roland Vogt
About 50% of atmospheric particles (“Feinstaub”) are composed of organic material, which is a highly
complex mixture with tens of thousands of compounds. The toxicity of aerosol particles depends on
their composition but links between particle composition and toxicity are only poorly understood.
Organic peroxides are health-relevant organic components found in aerosols but their identification
and quantification is highly challenging. We develop novel high performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC) methods to identify and quantify these peroxides in aerosols from lab and field studies.
MSc Thesis projects include characterisation of health-relevant particle components (e.g.,
peroxides, radicals) using cutting-edge analytical-chemical techniques such as optical spectroscopy
(fluorescence, UV-Vis and chemiluminescence) and UHPLC ultra high-resolution mass
spectrometry and the optimisation of the HPLC-CL detection method.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Air pollution particles pose serious health risks, contributing to over 3 million annual deaths globally.
Despite these dangers, the most toxic particle components and sources remain poorly understood.
More that 95% of the world population live in areas where aerosol concentrations exceed World
Health Organisation (WHO) guideline limits. Identifying harmful components like metals and organic
compounds is challenging due to varying particle compositions. In recent years it has been
recognised that oxidising properties might be the key property explaining particle toxicity, prompting
our development of advanced instruments capable of efficiently measuring oxidative components in
particulate matter for better pollution control.
MSc Thesis projects include the development of new instrumentation, measurements in the lab, data
analysis and field applications.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Further characterization of an instrument which generates metal nanoparticles. The student would generate different metal nanoparticles (Fe, Ti, Ag) and characterize them in terms of number and mass output. Using high resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), the nanoparticles can be investigated further in order to determine size and morphology of the particles. Alternatively, it is possible to implement a numerical model simulating the metal nanoparticle growth process. The results can then be compared to experimental data.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Biogenic aerosols play a key role in various infectious diseases, like Covid-19 and Tuberculosis.
Therefore, detecting and characterizing bioaerosol rapidly is crucial for human health. Traditional
surveillance of pathogenic bioaerosol has major drawbacks, due to the time and/or labour intense
work required for their detection.
We are developing and testing a novel continuous pathogenic bioaerosol sampler and detector,
which should combat this drawback.
MSc Thesis projects include basics in microbiology (growing and maintaining non-pathogenic
bacteria), taking part in the development of this instrument, characterizing its capturing efficiency
and its deployment in lab experiments.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
The quantification of CO2 emissions in urban areas will be of critical importance in the coming
decades to monitor the decarbonisation of our societies. We are developing measurement and
modelling techniques to characterise CO2, H2O and energy fluxes in highly complex urban areas.
MSc Thesis projects include micrometeorological data analysis from our measurement stations in
the city of Basel to quantify urban emissions, study the energy balance and identify long-term trends.
Projects can also involve field measurements of plant/soil ecophysiological variables to characterise
the biological contributions to the urban carbon and energy balance.
Contact: Stavros Stagakis
Theses on this topic would involve satellite time-series or airborne Lidar data processing for extracting vegetation variables, such as leaf area index and tree 3D structures, to characterize the spatial and temporal changes of urban biosphere. This topic involves the use of GIS software and/or code development. It can be linked with field measurements of leaf area index with portable equipment.
Contact: Stavros Stagakis