Sabera Nazneen Rahman is a geneticist who specialises in

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate ...

. She was previously head of Genetics and Epidemiology at the

Institute of Cancer Research The Institute of Cancer Research (the ICR) is a public research institute and a member institution of the University of London in London, United Kingdom, specialising in oncology. It was founded in 1909 as a research department of the Royal Ma ...

. She resigned from this role 2018 after more than 45 current and former colleagues at the Institute of Cancer Research submitted formal complaints alleging bullying and a toxic workplace culture under Rahman’s leadership. An independent investigation upheld many of the allegations, leading to her resignation and the revocation of £3.5 million in Wellcome Trust funding. The case was widely seen as a landmark moment in UK academia, as it constituted one of the first public examples of a major research funder taking direct action against a PI for workplace culture violations. She resigned from the post before disciplinary action could be taken, which raised concerns among former colleagues about the lack of accountability in such cases, with some warning that it allows those accused of misconduct to potentially return to senior roles or funding without formal consequences. Rahman currently works as a non-executive director at Astra Zeneca, where she chairs the Science and Sustainability Committees and as the director of the Sustainable Medicine Partnership.

Education

Rahman qualified in medicine from

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in 1991, and completed a PhD in Molecular Genetics in 1999 on the

Wilms' tumor Wilms' tumor or Wilms tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, is a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children (rarely in adults), and occurs most commonly as a renal tumor in child patients. It is named after Max Wilms, the German sur ...

susceptibility gene FWT1. She completed her Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in

Clinical Genetics Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to m ...

in 2001.

Career and research

She was head of Genetics and Epidemiology at the

, based at the Sir Richard Doll Building in Sutton. She specialises in research into the genetic mechanisms that cause cancer, particularly among groups with a predisposition to pediatric cancers or breast cancer. Through her research, Professor Rahman has provided improved screening and treatment options for NHS patients, and also provides advice on rare cancer genetics to clinicians internationally. She blogs about her work at ''Harvesting the Genome''. Rahman held a clinical role as head of the cancer genetics service at The

Royal Marsden The Royal Marsden Hospital is a specialist National Health Service oncology hospital in London based at two sites in Brompton, in Kensington and Chelsea, and Belmont in Sutton. It is managed by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and supp ...

and

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It shares its main hospital site i ...

in south west London. Rahman resigned from her position following in October 2018 following upholding on independent investigation of a complaint of systematic bullying spanning 15 years from 44 of her current and former staff and students . Rahman also lost a £3.5-million grant from the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

. In 2017 Rahman was appointed Non-Executive Director and member of the Science Committee at AstraZeneca Plc.

Awards and honours

Rahman was elected a Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academy, National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its ...

in 2010. Her nomination reads: In April 2014, she was named as Britain's third most influential woman in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

power list 2014. In February 2016, she was awarded the Services to Science & Engineering award at the

British Muslim Awards The British Muslim Awards are an annual award ceremony that honours the success and achievements of British Muslim individuals, groups and businesses. It was established in 2013. Overview The British Muslim Awards was founded by Oceanic Consult ...

. She was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2016 Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to medical science.

Personal life

Rahman is also a singer-songwriter, with two albums and one EP released.

References

External links