Master Thesis Life Cycle Assessment

Thesis Topic:

Draft Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a New Dialyzer Generation for Blood Purification

Background:

Sustainability is an integral part of Fresenius Medical Care’s corporate strategy. As part of our commitment to environmental responsibility, this Master’s thesis will focus on conducting a draft LCA of a new dialyzer product to identify environmental hotspots and inform more sustainable product development.

Your Responsibilities:

• Draft a Life Cycle Assessment of a new single-use dialyzer in accordance with ISO 14040/44 standards
• Define system boundaries, functional unit, and collect relevant inventory data in cooperation with our engineering and production departments
• Evaluate environmental impacts across the product's life cycle, either comprehensively from raw materials to end of life or by focusing on specific stages such as manufacturing, distribution, use, or disposal
• Identify key impact drivers and propose opportunities for environmental optimization
• Optionally, explore the link between the findings and compliance with sustainability regulations
• Prepare a final thesis document and present results to internal stakeholders

Your Profile:

• Enrolled Master’s student in Environmental Technology, Industrial Ecology, Sustainable Engineering, or a related field
• Basic knowledge of Life Cycle Assessment methodology
• Experience with LCA software (e.g., GaBi, SimaPro, OpenLCA) is a plus
• Strong analytical skills and structured, independent working style
• Communicative team player
• International background is a plus
• Fluent in English; German is an advantage but not required; additional languages is a plus
• Interest in sustainable healthcare technologies and the medical device industry

What We Offer:

• Supervision by experienced professionals in R&D, Sustaining Engineering and environmental management
• Access to relevant data, resources, and LCA software
• Insight into the product development process as well as production processes of a leading global healthcare company
• A supportive working environment in our headquarters in Bad Homburg and our largest plant in St. Wendel, with flexible arrangements (hybrid work possible)
• The opportunity to contribute to real-world sustainability efforts in the healthcare sector

Location: Fresenius Medical Care Headquarters, Bad Homburg, Germany and/or Fresenius Medical Care Plant, St. Wendel, Germany

Start Date: By arrangement (ideally September 2025 or within the upcoming academic semester)

Duration: Approx. 6 – 7 months