Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani has been officially appointed as the new Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK, stepping into a prominent leadership role designed to steer the charity’s clinical research strategy and accelerate breakthroughs in cancer treatment and patient care.
In her new capacity, Professor Jamal-Hanjani will help guide Cancer Research UK’s expansive clinical research portfolio, directing efforts toward discovering more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat various forms of the disease. Her appointment marks a significant transition for the organization, as she takes over the prestigious position from Professor Charles Swanton, who successfully held the role since 2017 and left a lasting impact on the charity’s scientific direction.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani brings an extensive and distinguished academic background to her new role. Alongside her responsibilities with Cancer Research UK, she serves as a Professor of Cancer Genomics and Metastasis at University College London (UCL). She is widely recognized within the international scientific community as a leading expert on the complex mechanisms of cancer evolution, how tumours spread throughout the body, and the ways in which malignant cells develop resistance to standard therapies.
Her pioneering research has largely focused on lung cancer, a disease that remains one of the most challenging and prevalent forms of cancer globally. Through major, multi-faceted scientific investigations, her work has helped the global scientific community gain a much deeper understanding of how tumours continuously change and mutate over time. By decoding the evolutionary patterns of cancer cells, her research provides vital clues as to why certain cancers eventually stop responding to treatment, offering a crucial foundation for the development of more personalized and targeted therapies. Ultimately, the insights generated by her research teams aim to translate laboratory discoveries into tangible improvements in patient survival rates and overall health outcomes.
The leadership of Cancer Research UK has warmly welcomed Professor Jamal-Hanjani to her new position, expressing immense confidence in her ability to drive the charity’s mission forward. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, praised her exceptional scientific track record and her capacity to lead high-achieving research teams.
Reflecting on the appointment, Michelle Mitchell stated that Professor Jamal-Hanjani brings deep, hands-on experience in leading high-performing research teams that are actively delivering radical new insights into the notoriously complex ways cancer behaves as it grows, spreads, resists treatment, and occasionally returns to afflict patients. This expertise is viewed by the charity as invaluable as it continues to fund and support cutting-edge clinical trials across the United Kingdom.
Expressing her own thoughts on stepping into the role, Professor Jamal-Hanjani emphasized her dedication to the charity’s overarching mission and her enthusiasm for the work ahead. She noted that Cancer Research UK has an extraordinary, proven track record of successfully turning complex scientific discoveries into real-world benefits for patients. She added that the chance to help shape that mission is something she feels deeply privileged to take on at this stage in her career.
Furthermore, Professor Jamal-Hanjani underscored the vital importance of accelerating the translation of innovative laboratory research into better clinical outcomes for those facing a cancer diagnosis. In discussing the pathway from scientific theory to bedside application, she highlighted the National Health Service (NHS) as a major national asset. She pointed out that the infrastructure of the NHS plays a critical, connecting role in bridging the gap between groundbreaking scientific discoveries and the patients who stand to benefit from them most directly, ensuring that new treatments can be evaluated and delivered efficiently within clinical settings.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani officially commenced her tenure as Chief Clinician in October 2026, succeeding Professor Charles Swanton, whose decade-defining contributions have helped shape modern oncology research in the United Kingdom. With her deep expertise in cancer genomics, tumor evolution, and clinical translation, her appointment signals a continued commitment by Cancer Research UK to supporting world-class science aimed at beating cancer sooner.