In a significant leadership transition for one of the world’s leading charitable funders of scientific investigation, Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani has been appointed as the new Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK. Taking over the prominent post, Professor Jamal-Hanjani steps into a vital leadership role tasked with shaping the organization’s overarching clinical research strategy and spearheading ongoing efforts to enhance cancer treatment, patient care, and clinical trial development across the United Kingdom.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani brings to the position an extensive background in academic medicine, oncology, and genomics. Alongside her new responsibilities with the charity, she serves as a Professor of Cancer Genomics and Metastasis at University College London (UCL). Within the international scientific community, she is widely recognized as a leading authority specializing in the complex biological mechanisms governing how cancer evolves, spreads throughout the body, and ultimately develops resistance to standard therapeutic interventions.
Her academic and clinical career has been defined by pioneering investigations into the nature of tumors. Among her most notable contributions are major studies focusing on lung cancer, which have provided researchers and clinicians with critical insights into how tumors change over time and why certain malignancies become increasingly refractory to treatment. By unraveling the evolutionary history of cancer cells, her work has helped pave the way toward the development of more personalized, targeted treatments. Experts anticipate that these discoveries will eventually translate into significantly improved clinical outcomes for patients facing some of the most challenging diagnoses.
The appointment has drawn widespread praise from senior leadership within the organization. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, welcomed Professor Jamal-Hanjani to the role by highlighting her exceptional track record in steering complex, high-impact scientific initiatives.
“Mariam brings to Cancer Research UK deep experience of leading high-performing research teams that are delivering radical new insights into how cancer changes as it grows, spreads, resists treatment and sometimes returns,” Mitchell remarked, emphasizing the critical value of such expertise in driving the charity’s mission forward.
Reflecting on her new appointment and the responsibilities ahead, Professor Jamal-Hanjani expressed both enthusiasm and a profound sense of responsibility regarding the path forward for clinical oncology.
“Cancer Research UK has an extraordinary track record of turning scientific discovery into real-world benefit for patients, and the chance to help shape that mission is something I feel deeply privileged to take on,” she stated.
Looking forward, Professor Jamal-Hanjani has emphasized a strong commitment to accelerating the translation of laboratory research into tangible medical benefits for people affected by cancer. In discussing her strategic vision for the role, she pointed to the National Health Service as a uniquely powerful asset within the United Kingdom, noting that the infrastructure of the NHS plays an indispensable role in directly connecting cutting-edge scientific discoveries with the patients who need them most.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani officially assumed her new role in October 2026. In taking up the mantle, she succeeds Professor Charles Swanton, a distinguished clinician-scientist who held the position of Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK since 2017, guiding the charity through a transformative period of clinical innovation and discovery.