💡 Background
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are cryptographic tokens on a Blockchain representing a unique digital asset, i.e. they are not interchangeable with each other and can such be used to provide unique proofs of ownerships. NFTs are traded on several platforms and aggregating market places, both on primary and secondary markets.
First attempts of NFTs can be traced back to 2012-13 under the name "Colored Coins". Since 2017, NFTs have become more popular, largely driven by the two NFT projects "Cryptopunks" and "CryptoKitties". In Q1 of 2021, NFTs have now seen a tremendous increase in sales and trading volume as well as in prices. Fueled by the increased attention, more and more NFT use cases and projects are established and discussed for future developers and entrepreneurs. Some use cases currently seen include Collectibles, Gaming, Art (inc. music), Utility (e.g., Crypto Domains), Metaverses (e.g. virtual land), and Sports.
🦾Who We Are
The Chair for Strategy and Organization is focused on research with impact. This means we do not want to repeat old ideas and base our research solely on the research people did 10 years ago. Instead, we currently research topics that will shape the future. Topics such as Agile Organizations and Digital Disruption, Blockchain Technology, Creativity and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation, Diversity, Education: Education Technology and Performance Management, HRTech, Leadership, and Teams. We are always early in noticing trends, technologies, strategies, and organizations that shape the future, which has its ups and downs.
🎯 Goals
This thesis will be part of a larger working group which should deep dive into the NFT world. The specific research question will be determined based on the student's background and type of thesis / study / project. All theses should begin with some structured literature review / desk research on the NFT market and conclude with an outline of the practical relevance of their findings. For the main part, possible ideas could be to
- focus on the applicability and respective prerequisites / limitations for implementation for specific NFT uses cases (e.g., in DeFi, real estate, legitimations, etc.)
- derive and test new use cases
- determine factors for the price increase for specific NFTs or the popularity of specific market places or
- quantitatively structure and analyse the NFT market
Programming experience and data analytics skills are beneficial.
🧠 Topics of Interest
- Blockchain
- Non Fungible Tokens
- Decentralized Finance
- Innovation
- Tech
🎓 Profile
- Reliable and self-driven
- Enthusiasm for Blockchain and Innovative Solutions
- Strong analytical skills
- Passion to learn more about the future and do research with impact
📚 Further Reading
Rosenfeld, M. (2012). Overview of colored coins. White paper, bitcoil. co. il, 41, 94.
Buterin, V., & Rosenfeld, M. (2013). Colored Coins - BitcoinX
Dowling, M. M. (2021). Fertile LAND: Pricing non-fungible tokens. Available at SSRN 3813522.
Chohan, U. W. (2021). Non-Fungible Tokens: Blockchains, Scarcity, and Value. Critical Blockchain Research Initiative (CBRI) Working Papers.
Trautman, L. J. (2021). Virtual Art and Non-fungible Tokens. Available at SSRN 3814087.
Fairfield, J. (2021). Tokenized: The Law of Non-Fungible Tokens and Unique Digital Property. Indiana Law Journal, Forthcoming.
📄 Requirements to any Work
We do not want your research to gather dust in some corner of bookshelf but make it accessible to the world. Thus, we warmly encourage you to create some or all of the following:
- Infograph - visually represent some of your work (find examples here)
- Slide Deck - summarize your research and possibly present it
- Extract most important sequences from podcasts, videos, and other media
- 3-4 Tweets about the most important findings and summarizing the topic
- optional: Medium Article - let people outside the university know about your research and start your personal brand
📬 How to Apply
If you are interested, please contact Eva Meyer (e-mail below) by submitting your CV and grade report. Please also briefly outline your tentative research idea (research question, data and methods, possible outcomes with a tentative outline all in word as *.docx)
We're greatly looking forward to hearing more about you!
👉 eva.meyer@tum.de