Katharina Emmelinde Merck

03 / Experience

A foundation in finance.
A broader research path.

Education, early risk analysis, and the development of an independent team across finance and medicine.

Education

Economics.
Management. Perspective.

Katharina attended Istanbul International Community School before moving to the United States in 2003. At Stanford, she studied economics, statistics, and corporate finance. Her MBA broadened that foundation to include organizational behavior, operations, strategy, and resource allocation.

2003–2007

Stanford University

B.A. in Economics

2008–2010

Stanford Graduate
School of Business

MBA

The development of her work

SEB

A foundation in financial risk.

After completing her MBA, Katharina joined SEB, supporting portfolio and credit risk analysis. She reviewed company finances, cash flow, and funding needs, and helped prepare risk comparisons and stress-scenario materials.

Independent research

Following the questions further.

She continued financial analysis independently, with personal and family support. Alongside that work, she studied published gastric cancer and targeted-therapy research and began a continuing exchange with former classmates, mentors, and specialists.

London & New York

Building a shared research practice.

Research expanded into statistical modeling, machine learning, and text analysis. As collaboration deepened, the group developed clearer responsibilities, data standards, and plans for a permanent team.

Germany

An independent AI team takes shape.

Katharina established an 18-member team with AI Finance and AI Medicine departments. Members worked across financial analysis, data engineering, modeling, and life sciences, with some mentors contributing research guidance and methods review.

San Francisco

A new base in the Bay Area.

She opened a small San Francisco office with core team members. Colleagues in Europe continued to contribute across locations, while research coordination and project management developed around the US office.

International collaboration

Making research easier to continue.

The team deepened its financial and gastric cancer research. Shared research records, access controls, version histories, and model evaluation helped colleagues follow an analysis, test its assumptions, and continue work across locations.

San Francisco & international

A wider team, a sustained focus.

As of November 2026, the team includes approximately 200 staff members and long-term collaborators across several locations. San Francisco remains its main office; this figure describes the international team, rather than full-time staff in one office.

Her role today

Direction, people,
and the resources to work.

Katharina focuses on long-term research priorities, key talent, important collaborations, and resource allocation. Executive leadership and team managers coordinate budgets, contracts, and day-to-day progress.

Specialist project leads carry responsibility for the research itself and for the quality of its review.

Her approach to research