Joint Master’s Thesis with Empa – Fall 2026
We have a joint Masters Thesis opening with Dr. Michael Stuer at Empa. Details can be found in the pdf document below. Please note that the work and supervision will primarily be conducted at Empa. For non EPFL students, only EU/CH students are eligible for this project. No such restrictions apply for EPFL Masters students.
Master’s Projects/Thesis – Fall 2026
If you are interested in learning more about any of the projects below, please contact Prof Yee at [email protected]. Please note that all projects will be at the Neuchâtel campus.
Architected materials for plant growth (Semester Project or Thesis)
One line summary: Seeding 3d printed structures with plants
The semester project or thesis will explore how 3D printed structures can be used to guide and control plant root growth. The student will design and fabricate architected geometries with different channel shapes, porosities, and connectivity patterns using vat photopolymerization, and study how these structural features influence root direction, branching, and penetration. The project will combine CAD design, 3D printing, plant growth experiments, and optical characterization to investigate interactions between living roots and engineered material architectures
Required experience: Must have worked in a wet chemistry lab before.
Preferred experience: Resin-based 3D printing
If you are interested in this project, please contact Disha Bandyopadhyay ([email protected]) and Prof. Yee ([email protected])
Characterization of bone-tissue scaffolds (Semester Project)
One line summary: Understanding mineralization in hydrogels
The semester project will explore the mineralization of hydrogels printed via tomographic volumetric 3D printing. The student will study how the mineralization conditions impact the quality and quantity of minerals present in the hydrogel post-fabrication. The student will learn how to use X-ray diffraction and microscopy to understand the interplay between hydrogel composition and mineralization.
Required experience: Must have worked in a wet chemistry lab before.
Preferred experience: Resin-based 3D printing
If you are interested in this project, please contact Mathilde Maillard ([email protected]) and Prof. Yee ([email protected])
Open Projects
If none of the projects above interest you but you are interested in working with ALCHEMY in general for a Masters Semester Project, Masters Thesis, or otherwise, please contact Prof. Yee to discuss. We often have multiple other possible projects available but they often a) require a more specialised skillset or b) are not that suitable for the once-a-week nature of Semester Projects due to our location in Neuchâtel.