As my master’s in Mechatronics at Linköping University was coming to an end, I wanted a thesis project that connected university theory with industry applications. I met NIRA Dynamics at the LINK career fair, during one of their evening events. I got an interesting pitch about an upcoming project, which led me to choose NIRA for my thesis – a choice that came to shape both my career and my perspective on what a thesis can lead to.
At NIRA, a thesis project is not something created just to keep students busy for five months. It is carefully chosen because the company genuinely wants to explore a challenge and see where it can lead.
My assignment was to estimate road roughness in terms of the international roughness index (IRI) using existing sensors in cars, and approach it in a more model-based and mathematically rigorous way than what had been done before. Road roughness affects safety, vehicle wear, fuel consumption and comfort, and it is highly valuable for road operators like Trafikverket to monitor it over time when prioritizing maintenance. The goal was to increase the accuracy of a more affordable method for large-scale roughness estimation than was previously possible. The thesis turned out to be a perfect match with my background in Applied Physics & Electrical Engineering, and it gave me the chance to work on something highly relevant, both theoretically and practically.
One of the greatest benefits of doing my thesis at NIRA was the level of support. I had a dedicated supervisor who was always available, the collective expertise and knowledge at NIRA was enormous, and the entire team showed a real interest in my work – probably because they were genuinely curious about the results. It wasn’t just me “borrowing” knowledge from them – it was a collaboration where ideas were discussed, refined, and developed together.
Together with my supervisors and examiners, we realized that the conclusions from my thesis didn’t just solve the problem I had been given – they contributed new knowledge to the field. This led to the decision to write a scientific article* based on the thesis, which was later accepted at the world’s largest conference in the field of sensor fusion in Rio de Janeiro.
And the journey didn’t end there. I had the opportunity to travel to Rio, accompanied by my supervisor, examiner, several doctoral students, and industry representatives from Linköping with deep expertise in the field. Presenting our work to an international audience, answering questions, and seeing the interest it generated was both exciting and rewarding. The conference itself was intense, with full days of presentations and discussions, but also offered time to network, share experiences, and discover the city. It was inspiring to see so many passionate researchers and professionals pushing the boundaries of such a complex field as sensor fusion.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of my journey is that NIRA is now implementing a solution based on my thesis in future production vehicles. Knowing that something I started as a student is actually becoming part of real-world development is a feeling that’s hard to beat. It shows that the work you do as a thesis student at NIRA truly matters. It’s not just about writing a report that ends up in a drawer – it’s about delivering results that can make a real impact.
For me, the thesis at NIRA also opened the door to my career. Even before I had finished my thesis, I was offered a full-time position at the company – an offer I gladly accepted.