Martin Bielik - Thesis Supervision Terms and Conditions
What to expect if I supervise your master thesis: how I work, whether we are a good fit, how to apply, and what is due when.
Dr.-Ing. Martin Bielik · Chair of Informatics in Architecture and Urbanism · Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Why I Supervise the Way I Do
I trained as an architect. I still think like one — in space, in relationships between things, in how people move and see and feel in a room or a street. But at some point I realized that the most impactful thing I could do with that understanding was not to design another building. It was to build tools, platforms, and systems that let spatial expertise reach people and situations it never could before.
A participatory platform that lets citizens shape their own neighborhood. A spatial game that makes invisible urban dynamics tangible. An algorithm that reveals what walking through a site cannot. A sensor-driven interface that gives building users agency over their environment. These are acts of spatial design — just not the kind you find in a typical architecture portfolio.
If this excites you, we will work well together. If you are looking for a classical design thesis — a building, a masterplan, a landscape — another supervisor will serve you better, and that is perfectly fine.
Is This the Right Fit?
Use this table honestly. It is not a test — it is a compass.
| You should work with me if… | You should look elsewhere if… |
|---|---|
| You want to build something that works and put it in front of real users | You want to produce drawings, renders, or a masterplan as your main output |
| You are excited about identifying problems nobody is solving yet | You already have a fixed design solution and need supervision to execute it |
| You see computation as a way to expand what spatial design can do | You see computation mainly as a visualization or representation tool |
| You are comfortable with ambiguity and iterating quickly | You prefer a linear process with clearly defined phases from day one |
| You want your thesis to signal entrepreneurial and technical capability to future employers, co-founders, or funders | You want your thesis to demonstrate classical design craftsmanship |
| You are willing to learn new tools fast — including AI-assisted workflows | You want to deepen expertise in one specific software (Rhino, Revit, etc.) |
| You can name a real user for your project (or are committed to finding one) | Your project serves an abstract academic audience |
Neither column is better. They point to different strengths, different careers, and different supervisors.
How to Apply
Before I can supervise your thesis, we need to establish whether the topic and collaboration are a good fit — for both of us. This happens in a two-step process, well before the official registration deadline.
Step 1: Send me an abstract. Write a short abstract (half a page) describing the problem you want to work on, what you intend to build or investigate, and why it matters. You may respond to one of the proposed topics or pitch your own — either way, make the problem and the intended outcome concrete. Send this by March 1 (summer semester) or September 1 (winter semester).
Step 2: We meet and decide. I will respond with written feedback on your abstract. Based on that, we schedule a pre-consultation meeting to discuss the topic, your approach, and mutual expectations. By March 15 / September 15, we decide together whether to proceed. If we agree, you register formally by the IUDD deadline. If not, you have a full month to find an alternative supervisor before the April 10 / October 10 registration deadline.
This pre-consultation is required but does not count toward the 5 consultations you receive during the thesis.
Timeline
The thesis writing period is 12 weeks, starting from the date of the official "Admission to Master Examination" (usually May 1 / November 1). The start date is coordinated and announced by the chair.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| March 1 / September 1 | Send your abstract to the supervisor |
| ~March 15 / ~September 15 | Pre-consultation meeting — go/no-go decision |
| April 10 / October 10 | IUDD registration deadline — submit Thesis Application Form + Performance Control Sheet to the examination office (Ms. Katrin Sonnet) |
| May 1 / November 1 | Official thesis start (Admission to Master Examination issued) |
| ~Week 6–8 | Master's Colloquium — obligatory presentation of thesis subject and progress (3 CP, required for submission) |
| Week 12 | Submission deadline — documentation delivered to examination office |
| ~Week 13–16 | Defense (oral examination) — after examiners have marked the thesis (up to 1 month after submission) |
What You Get from Me
You receive 1 pre-consultation + 5 consultations over the course of the thesis:
| Type | Count | When | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-consultation | 1 | Before registration | Topic presentation, mutual fit, go/no-go decision (see How to Apply) |
| Conceptual | 3 | During thesis | Problem framing, scope, methodology, user strategy, narrative |
| Technical | 1 | During thesis | Architecture decisions, tooling, feasibility, debugging strategy |
| Bonus (your choice) | 1 | During thesis | Can be either conceptual or technical — use where you need it most |
The 5 consultations during the thesis are your primary feedback moments. Use them strategically — they are designed to keep you on track without micromanaging your process.
What I Need from You
48 hours before each consultation, send me a short written summary:
1. What I set out to do since last time
(1–2 sentences: the goal you were working toward)2. What I did
(Brief description of activities, decisions made, things built or tested. Screenshots, links, or sketches welcome.)3. What I found / What happened
(Key results, surprises, dead ends. Be honest — dead ends are valuable information.)4. What I need to discuss
(2–5 specific questions or decision points. Not "what should I do next?" but "I see two options, A and B — here is why I'm torn.")5. Next steps (tentative)
(What you plan to do after this consultation, pending our discussion.)
A markdown file or shared document is fine. No slides needed — clarity beats polish.
How I Expect You to Work
Agile and iterative. Do not spend weeks on research before touching a prototype. Move through all project stages quickly in rough form, then circle back with better understanding. In a research project: collect some data, run a basic analysis, evaluate, refine your question, go back for more. In a product project: sketch the concept, build the simplest version, test it, iterate.
Outcome-oriented. Start from a clear picture of what you want to have at the end — the artifact, the demo, the experience someone will have when they encounter your work. Let that picture guide every decision. If an activity does not bring you closer to that outcome, question whether it belongs in your plan.
Problem-oriented. The problem comes first. Do not fall in love with a technology or method and then look for a problem to apply it to. Find a problem that matters, confirm that someone needs it solved, and then choose the means that solve it best.
Submission & Defense
The thesis has two deadline dates. What is due depends on which date.
At the 12-week submission deadline — documentation:
The written deliverable must be submitted to the examination office by the end of week 12. Depending on the type of thesis (see your topic description), this is either:
- Written documentation (research paper, ~10 pages) — if the thesis is primarily a research contribution
- Design documentation (plans, drawings, diagrams) — if the thesis produces a spatial or physical design
- A tool-based thesis with no separate design or research document still requires the specification document and validation report described in the topic
Formal requirements (per IUDD regulations):
- 3 printed copies to the IUDD secretary (Ms. Annett Wagner): one for each examiner, one for the thesis archive
- 1 digital copy to the examination office
- Include the signed Eigenständigkeitserklärung (declaration of original work)
- Follow the official IUDD Master's Thesis cover page template
- If a supervisor requests only a digital copy, inform the IUDD secretary with a written statement (email) from the supervisor
At the defense (oral examination) — everything else:
The remaining deliverables must be ready to present at the defense:
- Portfolio PDF (2 pages, A4)
- 30-second video reel
- 5-minute explainer video
- Working prototype (if applicable — deployed or demonstrable live)
- Any supporting materials (physical models, installations, datasets, etc.)
Defense scheduling:
After submission, both examiners mark the thesis (up to one month). The oral examination is scheduled once marking is complete. Coordinate the date with your supervisors immediately after submission and inform the IUDD secretary (Ms. Annett Wagner). The IUDD guidelines do not specify a maximum span between submission and defense — it depends on examiner availability — but expect the defense 4–6 weeks after submission.
A Final Word
This thesis is your opportunity to build something real — something that shows not just what you know, but what you can do. Treat it as a portfolio piece, a proof of concept, a first version of something that could grow beyond the university.
— Martin
Dr.-Ing. Martin Bielik · Chair of Informatics in Architecture and Urbanism · Bauhaus-Universität Weimar