At the BMW Tech Office in Shanghai, China, TUM Alumna Dr. Aledia Bilali worked for two months on a research project analyzing the impact of new mobility services on traffic in the megacity of Shenzhen (Picture: Everest Varaku).
When it was time for her Master’s degree, Aledia Bilali searched the world for renowned universities where she could specialize in transport systems. She opted for the Master’s degree course in Transportation Systems at TUM. “Transportation systems are a reflection of the effective organization of a country,” says Aledia Bilali. “I wanted to contribute to this in my later professional life.” She achieved this goal – first with a doctorate at TUM and later with a challenging but fulfilling job at BMW.
New Home
When Aledia Bilali moved to Munich at the age of just 22, she didn’t know anyone here. “I have to admit that it wasn’t always easy,” she recalls of her early days in a foreign city. “I felt trapped between two worlds and cultures. The more I integrated, the more I felt a certain loss of identity. In Albania I was seen more and more as a German, but here in Germany I was still considered Albanian.”
Aledia Bilali always knew that she would do a doctorate. She has a deep love for the academic world, science and research. The picture shows her after successfully passing her doctoral examination at TUM (Picture: Alsoeda Bilali).
At TUM, I found a home away from home.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Although it is often challenging to be accepted at a large automotive company with little knowledge of German, Aledia Bilali sent her unsolicited application for an internship at BMW – and was promptly accepted. She was able to score points with her passionate cover letter, in which she confidently stated the area in which she would like to work at BMW: intelligent transportation systems.
After completing her internship, Aledia Bilali was offered a position for her Master’s thesis in the field of predictive routing and subsequently a PhD position with a focus on mobility services on demand. “Of course, I accepted both offers with pleasure ,” she says. ”I’ve always wanted to work on forward-looking ideas.”
During her doctorate, Aledia Bilali found the collaboration with other TUM doctoral students and the conference trips, where she was able to present her work and exchange ideas with leading researchers in her field, particularly enriching. She enjoyed being able to immerse herself in theoretical analysis while experiencing the practical impact of her research at her employer. And she is grateful to her mentors at BMW, but especially to her doctoral supervisor, TUM Professor Dr. Klaus Bogenberger, for their support. “When I think back on my journey, I couldn’t have asked for a better supervisor and mentor,” she says. ”He encouraged me to get the best out of myself and my work. My PhD journey would not have been the same without his support.”
A Life Without Regrets
Although Aledia Bilali has a deep love for the academic world, science and research, after finishing her PhD she felt a strong desire to explore something new, more practical and where the results of her efforts are easier to observe than in research. For this reason, she moved within BMW from a research-oriented department to the operational area and worked as an IT Business Analyst. Since 2024 she is working as Migration and Interface Lead at BMW for an IT project with over 150 people involved. She is responsible for the management, planning and coordination of all necessary interface integration and data migration activities and acts as a central point of contact between the various stakeholders.
“My ultimate goal is to live a life with no regrets, where I will never look back and wonder why I didn’t pursue the things I wanted,” says Aledia Bilali. “For me, this means living a fulfilling life that is rich in experiences, knowledge and beautiful moments, while striving to make a positive impact on society.”
Aledia Bilali sees giving something back to the younger generation as a building block of her social commitment. As the initiator of a mentoring initiative at her secondary school in Albania, she takes every opportunity to share her experiences with the students and give them insights into her professional career and thus inspiration for their future careers. At her second home, TUM, students, alumnae, scientists and employees of TUM can also look forward to an evening of inspiration and exchange with Aledia Bilali. At this year’s Women of TUM Talk on the topic of “Fierce & Fearless: Women Across Industry, Innovation and Science” on April 9, 2025, she will be a panelist and talk about her career and the challenges she has faced.
Aledia Bilali (Picture: Everest Varaku).
Master Transportation Systems 2017, Doctorate 2021
In 2014, Aledia Bilali completed her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Epoka University in Tirana, Albania. In 2017, she completed her Master’s degree in Transportation Systems at TUM with funding from the Excellence Scholarship the Deutschlandstipendium. In 2021, she completed her doctorate at the Chair of Traffic Engineering and Control at the TUM School of Engineering and Design, which was developed in cooperation with BMW.
She had an exemplary career at the BMW Group: from Mobility Research Intern, Researcher for Master’s Thesis, Researcher & PhD Candidate to the position of IT Business Analyst and finally to today’s project management position regarding Migration and Interfaces.
In her free time, Aledia Bilali loves to travel – to get to know foreign cultures, but very often also to visit her family in Albania. She lives in Munich with her partner. He is her first port of call for advice and encouragement and is always there for her when she needs support.
