Where Ideas Become Action!

Research and Investigation at IU

At IU, we’re proud to recognise students who go above and beyond in their academic journey. Twice a year, we award the IU Diversity Award to outstanding Bachelor’s, Master’s, and MBA theses that explore and champion the topic of diversity across all study formats, including dual studies and distance learning.

The award aims to increase public awareness of diversity research and its societal relevance. Topics may include Gender & Queer Studies, Inclusion, Ethnicity, Racism, and related fields.

The Autumn 2025 IU Diversity Award was awarded to Jenny Elisa Pabst for her Master’s thesis in Pedagogy, Educational Counselling and Management (M.A.). Her research advocates for equitable inclusion in Hamburg daycare centres and highlights the importance of diversity-sensitive leadership in inclusive personnel development.

Learn more about our Diversity Award winner!

At IU, we believe exceptional work deserves to be celebrated. Each year, we present the Best Thesis Award to students whose Bachelor’s or Master’s theses stand out for their academic excellence, originality, and practical relevance.

This award highlights the dedication and impact of our students’ research and encourages future graduates to push boundaries, explore bold ideas, and contribute meaningful knowledge to their field.

Read more about our latest winners below!

Mansi Raghuwanshi​ - M.A. International Management ​

Process Optimization as a Strategic Tool for Improving Operational Efficiency in European Digital Organizations

This thesis develops a novel AI-KYC process maturity framework that integrates process optimization, AI governance, and regulatory compliance for European FinTechs. It deserved to win for its originality, academic rigor, and strong practical impact, providing a scalable roadmap for AI-enabled, audit-ready compliance.

"My master's thesis explored the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in optimizing Know Your Customer (KYC) processes within the FinTech industry. The research examined how AI-driven solutions can enhance operational efficiency, reduce manual effort, improve regulatory compliance, and create a smoother customer onboarding experience. By analyzing the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption in KYC, the study highlighted how emerging technologies can support more secure, accurate, and scalable financial services."

Sameer Patil​ - M.Sc. Computer Science 

Design and Implementation of an End-to-End Automation Pipeline for Semiconductors in the Area of Product Management

This thesis develops a production-ready automation pipeline that transformed fragmented semiconductor planning data into a secure, validated analytics platform at Bosch. It deserved to win for its technical excellence, measurable business impact, and enterprise-ready implementation, reducing manual effort by 88% and delivering significant annual cost savings.

"My thesis, 'Design and Implementation of E2E Automation Pipeline for Semiconductor Product Management Data,' was conducted in collaboration with Bosch and focused on developing a scalable end-to-end automation solution using Microsoft Fabric to improve the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of semiconductor product data management. The implemented solution reduced manual effort by approximately 67%, improved data quality, established a centralized source of truth, and enabled faster, data-driven decision-making. I am sincerely grateful to my thesis supervisor, Professor Dr. Sameer Joshi, for his invaluable guidance and continuous support throughout this research, and to the Bosch team for providing the opportunity to work on a real-world industrial project. Receiving the Best Thesis Award is a great honor and motivates me to continue contributing to innovative software engineering, automation, and data engineering solutions."

Manali Arora – M.Sc. Data Science

Developing a Framework for Drug Repurposing Using Knowledge Graphs and Large Language Models

This thesis addresses a highly relevant and innovative topic in drug discovery and biomedical research. By integrating knowledge graphs and large language models, it applies advanced AI-driven methods to analyze structure–activity relationships between drugs, genes, and diseases, identifying over 5,000 clinically relevant candidates for alternative therapeutic uses. A key contribution of the study lies in the integration of graph-based embeddings with large language model–driven reasoning, combining structured biomedical databases with unstructured scientific literature within a unified analytical framework. This hybrid AI approach enables a scalable and systematic exploration of complex biological relationships across therapeutic domains. In addition to its methodological rigor, the study is characterized by a carefully documented and transparent research design, the responsible and purposeful use of AI technologies, and a critical, self-reflective examination of the results and their broader implications. The thesis demonstrates a novel and effective strategy for rapidly uncovering new therapeutic possibilities and offers a highly relevant, cost-efficient alternative to the traditional development of new drugs.

"My thesis deepened my understanding of how advanced AI can responsibly accelerate drug discovery. Working at the intersection of knowledge graphs and language models shaped my commitment to advancing data-driven biomedical innovation. I am sincerely grateful to Prof. Dr. Markus Hemmer for his expert guidance and to my family for their unwavering support."

Aditi Jahagirdar - M.Sc. Artificial Intelligence

Assessment of Using Synthetic Data in Brain Tumor

Segmentation

This thesis extended beyond the academic setting, resulting in a co-authored scientific publication, which can be found here. The research investigates synthetic data generation to support brain tumor diagnosis, a topic of significant academic and societal importance. The work has attracted interest from major medical technology leaders, including Siemens, where it has been recognized as a promising approach.

"My thesis advances medical imaging techniques and contributes to critical patient care. I sincerely thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr. phil. Sameer Joshi, for his invaluable guidance throughout the process, which ultimately led to the publication of our work. I am also grateful to my family for their constant support while I balanced this research alongside full-time professional responsibilities. A special mention to my baby girl, whom I was expecting during this time. This journey reflects my resilience and persistence in achieving long-term goals."

Samira Yerima Bako – Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Financing Decision of Healthcare Firms – An Empirical Study of BRICS Countries

Samira’s thesis addresses a highly relevant and widely debated topic in corporate finance. Applying advanced econometric techniques with full reproducibility and transparency, the research earned recognition at the highest academic level. In addition to its methodological rigor, the study provides valuable policy insights using World Bank financial system indicators. The thesis has been developed into a publishable research paper and is currently under review at Financial Innovation, a Top A-ranked journal in finance.

"I learned how to look at healthcare from a different angle. I plan to use this knowledge in the future, whether in research, consultancy or when working in healthcare administration. This would not have been possible without the help of my supervisor Prof. Kunal Saigal who was very supportive and gave me strict and direct guidelines and was there for me when I needed him. I would also like to thank my husband for pushing me to do this MBA."