Hello, I am Marieke De Bock
Boston, MAssachusetts

Hello, I am Marieke De Bock

PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering at MIT -  currently engineering pharmaceutical manufacturing systems

I am currently working on finding a solution to the following problem: advanced treatments, like mRNA gene therapies, cost millions of dollars per patient to produce. Finding a solution means going wherever the problem takes me, from population balance modeling, to data-driven models, high-throughput experimental data collection, or techno-economic analysis. I am drawn to problems with no straightforward solution that require analytical skills from multiple fields simultaneously. 

mdebock@mit.edu LinkedIn ↗ Google Scholar ↗
01

My Journey

Belgium
Belgium

Secondary School in Belgium

I grew up in Oudenaarde, Belgium, exploring both the classical track - Latin and ancient Greek - and advanced mathematics and sciences. In my free time, I played the violin, was part of a theater group, and spent my summers organizing children's camps or reading all the English book at my local library. At fifteen I spent a semester at a school in Wallonia to learn French. This experience sparked a curiosity that led me to apply for university in the UK after graduating Magna cum Laude. I was the only student in a graduating class of 350 to leave Belgium and study abroad.

2019 - 2023 · Imperial College London
2019 - 2023 · Imperial College London

Chemical Engineering at Imperial College

I decided to move to London to study Chemical engineering. I enjoyed taking a quantitative approach to understand and optimize processes, and learned to think in a systems mindset: how one variable ripples through a process, and back, on various scales. I focused on statistical mechanics, process optimization, and mechanistic modelling of systems. I spent my free time in between classes doing research and using what I learned to solve healthcare or energy-focused problems. During summer, I learned the business side of what was necessary to make these technical advances reach people. I interned at Innosens, a pharmaceutical consulting firm focusing on advanced therapies, and McKinsey & Company. I graduated First Class Honours with multiple years on the Dean's List. 

2023 – Present · MAssachusetts institute of technology
2023 – Present · MAssachusetts institute of technology

PhD at MIT

I started my PhD in the Applied Mathematics and Biopharmaceutical Systems group at MIT in 2023, turning down a McKinsey return offer for the flexibility to choose my own projects and approach. Drawing on what I learned in consulting, I chose to tackle a problem needing both a technical and economic solution: advanced gene therapies cost millions per patient, severely limiting their impact. Alongside my PhD, I have taken classes and projects in the business school, earning MIT's Healthcare Management Certificate and MIT Sloan's Technology Translation Certificate, so my work can address the full problem rather than hit barriers further down the line — work that also shaped a recent piece I wrote for MIT Technology Review on global capacity building for gene therapies. I have interned at AstraZeneca, building ML and CFD models for biopharmaceutical process development, and at renewable fuel startup Dimensional Energy, improving their Fischer-Tropsch reactor model.

What's next
What's next

I will be finishing my PhD in 2027/2028 and am actively preparing for my transition to industry roles, where I look forward to combining my technical depth, data-driven mindset, and strategic judgment. 

02

Industry Experience

2025
Mar – May
Dimensional Energy

MIT Practice School Consultant

Houston, TX
  • Developed CFD models of Reverse Water-Gas Shift and Fischer-Tropsch reactors in OpenFOAM to evaluate reactor performance and scalability.
  • Performed data-driven optimization in Python to identify operating conditions that improved efficiency.
2025
Jan – Mar
AstraZeneca

MIT Practice School Consultant

Gaithersburg, MD
  • Modeled pharmaceutical manufacturing systems in ANSYS Fluent and M-Star to evaluate mixing and mass transfer limitations, improving product consistency and reliability.
  • Combined machine learning and thermodynamic modeling to predict amino acid solubility and optimize cell culture media formulation.
  • Led a team of 3 PhD students; presented weekly to senior leadership in Biopharmaceutical Development.
2022
Aug – Sep
McKinsey & Company

Business Analyst Intern

Belgium & Luxembourg
  • Built predictive models to evaluate growth of carbon and steel industry
  • Conducted expert interviews to understand and impact on shifting dynamics in consumer goods market
  • Developed evaluation frameworks for digital health technology platforms for the McKinsey Health Institute.
2020
Jul
Innosens, Pharmaceutical Consulting

Intern

Belgium
  • Attended and contributed to meetings with the CEO, clients, and academic researchers.
  • Processed pharmaceutical market-entry data against government guidelines and innovativeness criteria.
2018-20
Jul - Sep
Various

Student worker

Belgium
  • I spent every summer since age 16 working at manufacturing and logistics sites, including a suitcase manufacturer (Samsonite), a rice cake producer (Sanorice), a wholesaler for butchers (Willy Naessens Group), a plastic packaging manufacturer (ALPLA Group), and a clothes distribution center (Bleckmann)
  • Responsibilities spanned shipment preparation, quality control of equipment and finished goods, and hands-on production line work, operating machinery and producing goods.
03

Featured Projects

04

Publications

For a full and most up-to-date list of publications, please visit: my Google Scholar profile ↗

De Bock, M.*, Stover, N.M.*, Chen, J., Rosenfeld, J., del Carme Pons Royo, A., Myerson, A.S., Braatz, R. (2026). Systems analysis of the kinetics of in vitro transcription from interactions of T7 RNA polymerase and DNA. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
doi.org/10.1016/j.abb.2026.110737 ↗
Judd, J., De Bock, M. (2026). Global capacity building for novel gene-editing therapies: Challenges and opportunities. MIT Science Policy Review, 7.
doi.org/10.38105/spr.nh6mf76tcy ↗
Yubing, H., Zhisheng, P., De Bock, M., Tan, T., Wang, Y., Shi, Y., Yan, N., Yetisen, A.K. (2024). Microneedle Fluorescent Sensors for Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 262.
doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2024.116542 ↗
Zhou, X., Zamani, M., Austin, K., De Bock, M., Chaj Ulloa, J., Furst, A. (2024). Restriction enzyme-assisted electrochemical hybridization assay for improved biosensor performance. ChemComm, 60, 1948–1951.
doi.org/10.1039/d3cc06192b ↗
Van Haaren, C., De Bock, M., Kazarian, S.G. (2023). Advances in ATR-FTIR spectroscopic imaging for the analysis of tablet dissolution and drug release. Molecules, 28(12), 4705.
doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124705 ↗
05

Education

2023
– Present
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering

Cambridge, MA · Advisor: Prof. Richard Braatz
  • GPA 4.9/5.0. Thesis: "Optimal Reactor Design for mRNA Gene Therapy Manufacturing."
  • Coursework: Numerical Methods, Systems Engineering, Process Data Analytics, Analysis of Biological Networks, Economics of Healthcare Systems, Practices and Principles in Drug Design, Project Management & Problem Solving, Introduction to Healthcare Delivery.
  • Concurrently completing the MIT Healthcare Management Certificate (expected 2026) and MIT Sloan Technology Translation Certificate (expected 2027)
2023
– 2025
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Masters in Practice, Chemical Engineering

Cambridge, MA
  • Completed concurrently with the PhD; developed team and project management skills through industry collaboration projects.
2019
– 2023
Imperial College London

Integrated Master of Chemical Engineering

London, UK · First Class Honours
  • Research: CRISPR-based electrochemical biosensors for infectious disease detection; ATR-FTIR imaging of pharmaceutical tablet dissolution.
  • Thesis: "Flexible Microneedle Patch for Non-invasive, Continuous Glucose Monitoring."
  • Final Process Design Project: "Preserving the Future with Alginate Films for Active Food Packaging."
06

Leadership, Teaching & Awards

Leadership & Teaching

Teaching Assistant - Systems Engineering, MIT
Led recitations, office hours, and problem-solving guidance. Awarded MIT Teaching Certificate for evidence-based teaching techniques.
Feb – Jun 2026
Organizer, Hacking Medicine, MIT
Lead organization of health-innovation hackathons at MIT and globally; built a streamlined platform for judges, participants, and mentors.
Jun 2025 – Present
Grant Application Reviewer, Giving Joy
Evaluate grant proposals supporting and inspiring female entrepreneurship.
Apr 2025 – Present
Scholarship Judge, Junior Orsi
Review applications for full-ride summer research scholarships at MIT and Harvard.
2025 – Present
Teaching Assistant - Fermentation Technology, MIT
Facilitated discussions and ensured smooth course operations.
Jul 2024
Company outreach, European Club, MIT
Organized largest Europe-focused career fair in the United States for 4000 attendants, amongst other European community events on campus
2023 - 2025
Company outreach, Energy Club, Imperial College London
Organized yearly Energy conference, largest amongst student-led conferences in London universities
2020 - 2022
Board member, London and South East Young Members Group
Organized events to strengthen connections between engineering students across London universities and professionals through debate panels, company tours, and poster competitions
2019 - 2022

Awards & Scholarships