Theses - Chair of Computer Science III

The following list contains potential areas of study for Bachelor's and Master's theses as well as internships at the chair. Please note that there is always the possibility of tailoring additional topics for you from the above thematic areas. There may also be overlaps between individual areas. The research assistants at the chair often offer additional topics in their areas of interest upon request. Feel free to contact them via their personal website or notify the responsible staff member of the thematic areas, who will then refer you to the appropriate person.

Further down, you will find specific pre-formulated works from the mentioned thematic areas.

Network Trends of the Future

This topic area encompasses research questions on highly current internet and network technologies and trends, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), industrial automation, real-time Ethernet, as well as 5G/6G and wireless communication in general. Various methodologies may be employed, such as the setup of measurement testbeds and simulations.

Keywords: Internet of Things, Industrial Automation, Real-Time-Ethernet, 5G, 6G, Wireless Communication
Responsible Person: Dr. Stefan Geißler

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

In line with the previous developments of current networks, the question of the energy consumption of these novel technologies also arises. Therefore, in this thematic block, the focus is primarily on evaluating the resource or energy consumption of various technologies and considering them in trade-off with other metrics, such as system performance.

Keywords: Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, Green IoT
Responsible Person: Dr. Frank Loh

User-Centric Technologies

This topic area revolves around users of communication networks and the associated technologies. This includes aspects such as group-based communication (e.g., in WhatsApp), evaluating the Quality of Experience (QoE) of internet applications (e.g., streaming or short video services like TikTok), for instance, through user studies and crowdsourcing.

Keywords: Group-based Communication, QoE, Usability, Explainability, Crowdsourcing, User Studies
Responsible Person: Nikolas Wehner

Artifical Intelligence in Communication Networks

Artificial Intelligence (AI), and especially Machine Learning (ML), is another highly relevant topic for communication networks. This includes issues such as the detection of anomalies in network traffic (e.g., new devices, attacks, errors), classifying network traffic (e.g., into different applications like streaming and video chat), or predicting network load. Additionally, aspects like explainability through Explainable AI (XAI) are interesting, as well as integrating the administrator into the workflow.

Keywords: Anomaly Detection, Traffic Classification, XAI, Explainability, Human-in-the-Loop
Responsible Person: Katharina Dietz

Measuring and Modeling Network Traffic

In this thematic block, the focus is on understanding and modeling traffic in communication networks through measurements. Traffic can be measured at various layers (e.g., at the application layer or at the network layer) and involves the analysis of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Quality of Service (QoS), and Quality of Experience (QoE). Modeling is done, for example, through mathematical analyses, simulations, or other abstractions.

Keywords: KPIs, QoS, QoE, Performance Evaluation, Traffic Modeling, Simulation, Emulation
Responsible Person: Dr. Stefan Geißler

Open Topics

Open Bachelor Theses

Supervisor: Wehner, N. (2024). Studying the Mediation of QoE Models with Large Language Models (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
Contact: nikolas.wehner@uni-wuerzburg.de Goal of this work is to conduct a laboratory study with an already existing dashboard and to extensively analyze the resulting data. The dashboard incorporates different visualizations of a state of the art QoE model based on Explainable AI and provides a ChatBot (powered by ChatGPT or Mistral), which is supposed to help the study participant to understand how the QoE model works. Relevant papers to the topic can be found in [1] and [2]. [1] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10178499 [2] https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.06029
Supervisor: Pruckner, M. (2023). Modeling and simulation of sustainable local energy systems (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
Due to the raising costs for energy and CO2-emission, more and more small companies are interested in new decentralized technologies for CO2-neutral local energy production and storage. For instance, companies with high electricity and/or process-heat demand are interested in photovoltaic and/or solar thermal systems as well as combined heat and power systems (e.g., heat pump - KWK). We want to go one step further: We want to design a new type of system, that will harvest the power of the sun (photovoltaic and/or solar thermal) and provide electricity, warmth and cold (combined heat, power and cooling - KWKK) to use in manufacturing processes. The supply of the energy forms shall be local for self-sufficiency as well as CO2-neutral. The system should be flexible, so that the user can determine which of the three energy forms he/she needs most. Storing electricity will be realized in accumulators while cold and warmth will be stored in insulated water tanks. In this bachelor thesis, a data-driven simulation model should be developed, based on a use case. Based on real and open data different energy system components should be implemented. The model should be used to evaluate different scenarios for sustainable energy supply by varying different parameters such as the size of the photovoltaic system or the capacity of the battery energy storage. Finally, an evaluation of cost savings and CO2 reduction potentials should be revealed.

Open Master Theses

Supervisor: Pruckner, M. (2023). Passenger transport with minibuses (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
- [ Download ]
Minibuses are already being used to transport passengers on public transport lines with low demand. Minibus lines are often operated like normal bus lines (based on schedules) or like shared cabs (transport requests must be announced in advance). The question arises whether (and under which conditions) there are better and more efficient strategies for operating a minibus line. In this context, there are various questions that can be addressed in the context of a final thesis. An interesting task would be the creation of a concrete test instance based on already operating or planned minibus lines, the development of a simulation that allows to test and compare different strategies, and the development and (experimental and/or theoretical) analysis of strategies.
Supervisor: Strobel, L. (2023). Electrification of public transport in European towns - A case study of Bayreuth (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
The electrification of public transport is a major milestone towards carbon neutrality. This process is well on its way in large urban centers, but in smaller towns, the vehicle inventory still primarily consists of fossil-fuel-powered buses. Significant uncertainty about the economic and practical feasibility of full-electric fleets is prevalent among stakeholders. At the same time, public transport is uniquely qualified for smart-charging use cases due to the centralized control of the transport authority and the highly predictable nature of driving patterns. This thesis aims to evaluate the feasibility of switching to an all-electric bus fleet in Bayreuth and the resulting smart-charging revenue potential. This work is part of ESM-Regio, a project in partnership with Stadtwerke Bayreuth, and real-world data is available. The thesis includes: - Literature research - Analysis of the available data - Development of electric bus model - Development of a charging optimization model - Scenario analysis Requirements: - Knowledge of any programming language Helpful: - Experience with data analysis - Experience with mathematical optimization (We can do a crash course)
Supervisor: Pruckner, M. (2023). Charging planning for electric buses (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
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If a transit agency replaces part of its conventional bus fleet with electric buses, the allocation of buses to trips must be rethought to allow for sufficient charging time between trips for the electric buses. Factors such as fluctuating electricity prices, temperature-dependent energy consumption should also be considered. In preliminary work, this optimization problem was modeled as a mixed-integer linear program, which in principle can be used for potential studies ('How much energy could have been maximally saved for a specific time period by using electric buses?'), but in its current form can only be used for very short time periods due to its long runtime. The task of this thesis is to find an approach, based on the present model, to solve the problem for longer time periods (such as one year). For this, different (exact or heuristic) approaches are possible, for example a (partial) re-formulation of the model or a 'rolling horizon' approach (where the model is solved step by step for shorter, overlapping time periods. It would further be interesting to adapt the model for use in operational planning, where future energy prices and temperature conditions are subject to uncertainty.

Available Student Projects

Supervisor: Loh, F. (2023). Studying mobility in a LoRaWAN Network (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Würzburg.
Supervisor: Geissler, S. (2023). Design and Implementation of a WebApp for the Performance Evaluation of VNF Chains (1–) [Master thesis]. University of Wuerzburg.
- [ Abstract ]
Goal of this work is the design and implementation of a web-based application that allows the graphical configuration of service function chains (SFC). An underlying backend (written in R) should then perform detailed performance evaluation (discrete-time modeling, simulation) of the designed SFC and generate several key performance indicators of the system.