Join The Aviation Think Tank! Have you ever wondered what tomorrow’s air transport might look like? As the aviation think tank in Germany - consisting of young and ambitious experts from various disciplines - our goal is to provide science-based answers. Located in Taufkirchen near Munich, we offer a modern working environment with open ears and doors. We are always looking for passionate and creative minds to help us push today’s boundaries to new heights. Shape the future of aviation with us today and join us as: Student (m/f/d) for a Master's Thesis in the field of Airline Network Optimization In this role, you will work on a large-scale airline network optimization problem that jointly determines passenger flows, flight frequencies, and the deployment of aircraft types in a global air transport network You will review and develop a solid understanding of the problem setting, the mathematical model, and the operational constraints, including passenger demand satisfaction, seat capacity limits, fleet availability, flow balance, and airport capacities Building on this foundation, you will study suitable advanced solution approaches for large-scale optimization problems, with a particular focus on decomposition methods such as Column Generation You will implement at least one efficient solution algorithm for the problem and test it on relevant instances in a systematic way You will compare the developed approach with an already implemented Relax-and-Fix heuristic, with particular attention to solution quality, runtime, and scalability Finally, you will analyze and discuss the computational results and derive insights on the practical implications for fuel-efficient airline network planning You are an enrolled master’s student (m/f/d) in Operations Management, Operations Research, or a related field You bring relevant experience from courses, projects, or thesis work in optimization, mathematical modeling, or algorithm development Familiarity with decomposition methods, especially Column Generation, is considered a plus You have experience in implementing optimization algorithms in Python, ideally using Gurobi You show strong academic performance and interest in aviation and airline applications Flexible Working Hours Subsidised canteen Company sports (football, running group) Parking Lot Good accessibility by public transport What to expect: International team with a high qualification level Acknowledged research institution - with our feet on the ground and our thoughts in the air Interdisciplinary cooperation of engineers, natural and social scientists Modern working environment on the Ludwig Bölkow Campus in Taufkirchen near Munich A team-oriented working culture Flat hierarchies and short communication paths Challenging tasks Versatile, creative activities Numerous opportunities to enhance and broaden your competencies