Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani has been appointed as the new Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK, stepping into a leading role designed to shape the charity’s clinical research strategy and spearhead national efforts to improve cancer treatment and patient care.
Bringing an extensive background in oncology and genomics, Professor Jamal-Hanjani is currently a Professor of Cancer Genomics and Metastasis at University College London (UCL). She is widely recognised as an international authority on how cancer evolves, spreads throughout the body, and develops resistance to various forms of medical treatment. Her academic and clinical career has been defined by a deep commitment to decoding the complex biological mechanisms that govern tumour growth and therapeutic failure.
Within her academic and research capacities, Professor Jamal-Hanjani’s work has notably featured major studies investigating lung cancer. These investigations have helped the global scientific community gain vital insights into how tumours change dynamically over time and why certain malignancies ultimately become exceptionally difficult to treat. By mapping these cellular pathways and evolutionary trajectories, her research aims to pave the way for the development of more precise, targeted treatments that can significantly improve prognoses and survival outcomes for patients facing difficult cancer diagnoses.
The appointment has been met with widespread enthusiasm from leadership at Cancer Research UK, the nation’s leading independent cancer charity. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, praised Professor Jamal-Hanjani’s exceptional career contributions and her proven ability to drive forward groundbreaking scientific initiatives.
Reflecting on the appointment, Michelle Mitchell noted that Professor Jamal-Hanjani brings a deep reservoir of experience in leading high-performing research teams. These teams have been instrumental in delivering radical new insights into how cancer changes as it grows, spreads, resists medical interventions, and occasionally returns after periods of remission. The leadership expressed confidence that her clinical expertise and strategic vision will prove invaluable as the organization continues to fund and direct life-saving research projects across the United Kingdom.
Expressing her own thoughts on taking up the prestigious post, Professor Jamal-Hanjani emphasized the profound responsibility and honor of stepping into the role. She highlighted the organization’s historic role in translating complex scientific discoveries into tangible, real-world benefits for patients navigating the healthcare system.
The opportunity to help shape that ongoing mission is something she feels deeply privileged to take on, noting that the ultimate goal remains the acceleration of research translation to secure better health outcomes for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Furthermore, she pointed to the National Health Service (NHS) as a monumental national asset that serves as a vital bridge, seamlessly connecting innovative scientific discoveries with the patients who urgently need them.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani officially began her new tenure in October 2026. In taking on the position, she succeeds Professor Charles Swanton, a distinguished oncologist and researcher who held the Chief Clinician role since 2017 and left a lasting impact on the charity’s research portfolio during his years of dedicated service.