Rate My Professor Marieke Klijn

Dr. ir. Marieke Klijn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology, where she leads the Marieke Klijn Group focused on data-driven bioprocess development. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Life Science and Technology from Delft University of Technology and Leiden University (2008–2012), followed by a Master of Science in Life Science and Technology with a Biochemical Engineering track from Delft University of Technology (2013–2015). Her MSc thesis involved in silico prediction of protein adsorption interaction parameters in the Department of Bioprocess Engineering. She completed her PhD at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, starting in September 2015, with research on understanding, characterization, and prediction of protein solubility and stability using multivariate data analysis, quantitative structure-property relationships, and quantitative structure-activity relationships. During her PhD, she received the Best of BIOT Award from the Division of Biochemical Technology of the American Chemical Society in October 2017. Prior to her faculty position, she served as a postdoc at KIT.

At TU Delft, Klijn's research centers on the application of process analytical technology for data-driven bioprocess development, connecting raw materials, bioprocessing, and product quality. Her group develops data analytical frameworks for characterization and near real-time assessment as a function of continuous or intensified upstream processing, including monitoring and control approaches to enhance process understanding. Key publications include 'Prediction of protein retention times in hydrophobic interaction chromatography by robust statistical characterization of their atomic-level surface properties' (Biotechnology Progress, 2015, co-authored with A.T. Hanke et al.), a review on quantitative process analytical technology for biomanufacturing (Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2024, correspondence author), and 'Application of process analytical technology for real-time monitoring of synthetic microbial co-cultures' (2025, co-authored with N.A. Dambruin et al.). She supervises multiple PhD candidates working on projects such as spectroscopic sensor development, off-gas measurements, and process monitoring for cell cultures and biocatalytic processes. Klijn contributes to teaching in bioprocess engineering and has presented at events like SynBioBeta.