Embedded Files
Starting October 2025, I will be a postdoctoral fellow at University of Toronto's Centre for Global Engineering. I will work on a new training initiative (Sensing, Data, and Analytics for the SDGs) for the centre, as well as support ongoing research in the Water and Energy Research Lab (Amy Bilton) and The Weckman Lab (Nicole Weckman).
In May 2025, I completed my PhD in the Analytics for Human Development Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I had the pleasure of being mentored by Professor Justin J. Boutilier, who is now at University of Ottawa.
As an NCCR Automation Fellow and Fulbrighter, I also worked with Professors Gabriela Hug (Power Systems Laboratory) and Elizabeth Tilley (Global Health Engineering) at ETH Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland, over 15 months at the end of my doctoral studies.
The Basics
The Basics
My pronouns: she/her/hers
E-mails: ralcock@ethz.ch
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebeccaalcock
Degrees:
PhD Industrial and Systems Engineering (2025)
PhD Minor Planetary Health
PhD Certificate Global Health
MS Industrial and Systems Engineering (2022)
MS Biomedical Engineering (2020)
BS Biomedical Engineering (2018)
Access my (surely outdated) CV here.
Recent Media
Recent Media
My all-time favorites:
Engineering the Future by Grace Bartels, an 8th grader from Holly Springs, NC
The Badger Shield: From Fighting the Pandemic Locally to Protecting the World by Anne Christiono, a 9th grader from Sugar Land, TX
Fulbright award sends PhD student to Switzerland (October 2024)
Author: Tom Ziemer, UW–Madison College of Engineering
Augmenting Microgrid Systems in Colombia: GHI Partners with Rebecca Alcock (ISyE) (August 2023)
Author: Kendall Buehl, UW–Madison Global Health Institute
An itsy bitsy solar-powered, phone-charging Little Free Library installed on Marquette Street (March 2022)
Author: Rachel Kubik, The Journal Times
UW-Madison students tune toys to work for children with disabilities (December 2021)
Author: Tom Ziemer, UW–Madison College of Engineering
Podcast: Shield-Net: Helping pop-up supply chains answer the call for more PPE during the pandemic (October 2021)
Author/Host: Ashley Kilgore, INFORMS Resoundingly Human Podcast
PhD student earns campus community-engaged scholarship fellowship (July 2021)
Author: UW–Madison College of Engineering
Graduate students earn global health awards (May 2021)
Author: Tom Ziemer, UW–Madison College of Engineering
Documentary: El Proyecto La Dignidad (The Dignity Project) (April 2021)
Directed, filmed, and edited by Michael Brennan
Video Interview: Community Makers: Rebecca Alcock (March 2021)
Author: UW Makerspace
Grad student helping organize PPE production, COVID response in developing countries (July 2020)
Author: Tom Ziemer, UW–Madison College of Engineering
Making a difference: Madison makers build safety equipment for frontlines of COVID-19 fight (April 2020)
Author: Natalie Yahr, The Cap Times
Crisis Has Jump-Started America’s Innovation Engine. What Took So Long? (April 2020)
Author: John D. Stoll, Wall Street Journal
Publications and other writing
Publications and other writing
Published
Alcock, R., Shaukat, A., Kisiel, J., Hernandez, L. V., Delarmente, B., Estes, C., Bartels, J., Lester, J., Vahdat, V., Limburg, P., & Fendrick, A. M. (2025). Environmental impact of colorectal cancer screening with colonoscopy and mt-sDNA testing. Health Affairs Scholar.
· Editor's choice
Alcock, R., Docter, R., & Lakeman, E. (2023). Engineers Without Borders UW–Madison: Student-led international infrastructure development. In E. Ahn (Ed.), Wisconsin in the World: Internationalization at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (pp. 229 – 242). Information Age Publishing.
Ahn, E. S., Alcock, R., Block, P., & Tupesis, J. P. (2023). International COVID-19 Response: A University-Intergovernmental Organization Partnership. In E. Ahn (Ed.), Wisconsin in the World: Internationalization at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (pp. 333 – 348). Information Age Publishing.
Alcock, R. & Puccinelli, J. P. (2023). Benefits of a Low-Stakes Show and Tell Session in Biomedical Engineering Design. In 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
Alcock, R., Boutilier, J. J., & Siddiq, A. (2022). Shield-net: Matching supply with demand for face shields during the COVID-19 pandemic. INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 52(6), 485-507.
· Finalist for INFORMS Doing Good with Good OR Student Paper Competition (2021)
Wille, C., Hurley, S. A., Adluru, N., Alcock, R., Heiderscheit, B. C., & Kijowski, R. (2019). Quantitative muscle microstructural changes detected with diffusion tensor imaging following acute hamstring strain injuries. In Proceedings of the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting.
In preparation for submission
Alcock, R., Boutilier, J. J., & Hug, G. MtM Toolkit: Load estimation, optimal sizing, and simulation of micromobility-to-microgrid systems for last-mile health clinic electrification. Target journal: Manufacturing & Services Operations Management
Alcock, R. & Tilley, E. (In progress). Micromobility in healthcare around the globe and in Malawi: enablers for and challenges to adoption and scaling. Target journal: Malawi Medical Journal.
Blogs
Alcock, R. (2020, November 20). COVID-19 Response: Reflections from the (Virtual) Trenches. Sustaining Capabilities Blog.
Alcock, R. & Eliceiri, K. (2020, November 12). Engineering through and after COVID-19: A Global Perspective. Morgridge Institute for Research.
Select awards
Select awards
Fulbright / Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
Working with Professor Gabriela Hug and Professor Elizabeth Tilley
ETH Zürich
2024 - 2025
NCCR Automation Fellow
Working with Professor Gabriela Hug
ETH Zürich
2024
5 Under 25 Rising Tech Leaders to Watch
Wisconsin Inno (Milwaukee Business Journal)
2022
Doing Good with Good OR Student Paper Competition Finalist and Honorable Mention
INFORMS Annual Meeting 2021
2021
Teaching
Teaching
ME 549: Product Design
Teaching assistant
Fall 2023
IntegSci 140: Public Service in Science
Lead instructor
Fall 2022
ISyE 210: Introduction to Industrial Statistics
Teaching assistant
Fall 2021/Spring 2022
InterEgr 170: Design Practicum
Lead instructor
Fall 2019
InterEgr 601: Tools for Prototyping & Manufacturing
Creator and lead instructor
Summer 2019
DS 501: Design Thinking for Underserved Communities*
Teaching assistant
*Study abroad course taught in Kenya
Summer 2019
Select presentations and invited talks
Select presentations and invited talks
Last-mile health facility electrification with novel micromobility and microgrid networks, INFORMS Annual Meeting
Presenter
October 2024
Shield-Net: Matching Supply with Demand for Face Shields During the COVID-19 Pandemic, INFORMS Annual Meeting, Doing Good with Good OR Student Paper Competition
Presenter
October 2021
Global Partnerships for Local Solutions: Helping Yemen’s Young Engineers Fight COVID-19, United Nations Development Programme
Invited Panelist
June 2021
CV 3900 Humanitarian Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Invited Guest Lecturer
November 2020
United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit
Invited Panelist
June 2020
Education
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Area of Focus: Health Systems Engineering
Minor, Planetary Health
Certificate, Global Health
UW–Madison
D-MAVT and D-ITET exchange student (2024-2025)
(Mechanical and electrical engineering)
ETH Zürich
2025
Master of Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering
UW–Madison
2022
Master of Science, Biomedical Engineering
Certificate, Entrepreneurship
UW–Madison
2020
Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering
Certificate, International Engineering (Region of Focus: Latin America)
Certificate, Biology in Engineering
UW–Madison
2018
Page updated
Report abuse