We welcome you to the website of the Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment at the TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability.

Our chair focuses on circular economy and bioeconomy, central concepts for achieving global sustainability goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the Paris Agreement. With our work, we want to contribute to the transition towards sustainable industrial and economic systems and thus to the achievement of the aforementioned goals. For this, we develop interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis, evaluation and design of technologies, products and systems in our research. In teaching, we aim for educating decision makers in research, economy and politics in the necessary methodological and professional competences for the change towards a sustainable economy and society.

With our website we want to inform you about news of our chair, our research activities, our courses and our team. We also want to draw your attention to other areas, such as the CirculaTUM initiative and career opportunities.

Announcements

Advanced Seminar on CE in the Automotive Industry

Are you interested in tackle real sustainability challengers in mobility? Then our Advanced Seminar on CE in the Automotive Industry in the winter term 25/26 is the perfect opportunity for you!

Motivated Master’s students are invited to apply by submitting a motivation letter, CV, and transcript of records by the 30.09.2025 to Inka Hahn (inka.hahn(at)tum.de). Please note that the number of participants is limited.

LCA Case Studies

Are you interested in gaining hands-on experience with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and deepening your knowledge of sustainability assessment? Then the seminar “LCA Case Studies” in the winter term 25/26 is the perfect opportunity for you! You will work on a small comparative LCA study including data collection, practice scientific writing and presenting, and strengthen teamwork skills while connecting with fellow students. In addition to valuable practical experience, you will also earn 5 ECTS credits for your successful participation.

Motivated Master’s students are invited to apply by submitting a motivation letter, CV, and transcript of records by the 30.09.2025 to Jana Schirmeister (jana.schirmeister@tum.de). Please note that the number of participants is limited.

Young Researchers Seminar on Sustainable Material Cycles

The Chair of Circular Economy and Sustainability Assessment will host the next edition of the Young Researchers Seminar on Sustainable Material Cycles. We invite PhD students and PostDocs working on a sustainable use of materials to share their research activities in an oral or poster presentation. In particular, we address the following fields of research:

  • Design and optimization of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy systems
  • Sustainability and circularity assessment of systems, products, materials, and processes
  • Efficient management and use of resources
  • Material flow analysis of resource use, stocks, and flows
  • Criticality and traceability of resources
  • Sustainable business models