Professor Mariam Jamal-Hanjani has been officially appointed as the new Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK, stepping into a prestigious and influential leadership role aimed at steering the charity’s overarching clinical research agenda and spearheading national efforts to improve cancer diagnosis, care, and treatment outcomes.
In her new capacity, Professor Jamal-Hanjani will play a pivotal role in shaping how the organization prioritizes its clinical investigations, allocates funding resources, and translates groundbreaking laboratory discoveries into tangible benefits for patients across the healthcare system. Her appointment marks a significant transition for the charity as it continues to tackle some of the most complex and persistent challenges in modern oncology.
Alongside her new responsibilities with Cancer Research UK, Professor Jamal-Hanjani serves as a Professor of Cancer Genomics and Metastasis at University College London (UCL). She is widely recognized within the global scientific community as an expert in the intricate mechanisms of how cancer evolves, spreads throughout the body, and ultimately develops resistance to standard medical treatments. Her extensive academic and clinical background positions her uniquely at the intersection of cutting-edge genetic research and practical patient care.
Much of Professor Jamal-Hanjani’s renowned academic career has been dedicated to untangling the biological complexities of lung cancer. Through major, high-impact research studies, she and her teams have worked tirelessly to help the scientific community understand the dynamic nature of tumors—specifically, how they change and mutate over time, and why certain cancers become increasingly difficult to treat as the disease progresses. This body of work is considered vital for the future of oncology, as it lays the theoretical and practical groundwork for the development of highly targeted therapies designed to outsmart cancer cells, ultimately aiming to secure better survival rates and quality of life for patients.
The leadership transition has drawn high praise from across the medical research sector, with Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell highlighting the profound expertise that Professor Jamal-Hanjani brings to the institution.
Reflecting on the appointment, Michelle Mitchell said that Professor Jamal-Hanjani 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. This capability is viewed by the charity’s leadership as essential for driving forward the next generation of cancer therapies and maintaining the UK’s position at the forefront of global cancer research.
Expressing her own thoughts on taking up the mantle, Professor Jamal-Hanjani spoke about the legacy and ongoing mission of the organization she is now helping to lead. She noted that Cancer Research UK has an extraordinary track record of turning scientific discovery into real-world benefit for patients, and described the chance to help shape that mission as something she feels deeply privileged to take on.
Furthermore, Professor Jamal-Hanjani emphasized her core objective to accelerate the translation of scientific research into better clinical outcomes for patients. In discussing the pathway from laboratory bench to hospital bedside, she highlighted the National Health Service as a major asset, pointing to its unique structure as a critical bridge in connecting innovative scientific discoveries directly with the people who need them most.
Professor Jamal-Hanjani officially stepped into her new role in October 2026. In doing so, she succeeds Professor Charles Swanton, a prominent figure in cancer research who held the Chief Clinician position since 2017 and guided the charity through significant developments in tumor evolution studies and personalized medicine.