Dr Marta Shahbazi, an affiliate associate professor at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, was killed in a train collision that occurred south of Madrid. The crash claimed 69 lives and ranks among Europe’s most significant rail disasters in recent decades. Shahbazi was traveling to an awards ceremony to receive recognition from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology for her contributions to understanding early human development.
Shahbazi led a research group focused on human embryos and cell biology at the LMB on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. She also held positions as an affiliate principal investigator and affiliate assistant professor at the university’s Stem Cell Institute. Her academic career included doctoral studies at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre before she joined Cambridge as a post-doctoral fellow, eventually moving to the LMB in 2020. Throughout her career, she received multiple awards acknowledging her scientific achievements.
Beyond her research contributions, Shahbazi was recognized as a role model for balancing motherhood with a scientific career, a concept she articulated publicly. She was a mother of two children. The LMB described her as an “inspiring, talented and passionate scientist” whose work illuminated the earliest stages of human embryo development and mechanisms underlying failed pregnancies.
Institute leadership expressed deep sorrow at her passing. The director of the Stem Cell Institute noted that Shahbazi was highly respected across both institutions for her pioneering research and collaborative approach. The collision occurred when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train struck a stationary Iryo company train. Spain declared three days of national mourning following the incident, which involved more than 540 people across both trains and represented the country’s most severe rail disaster since 2013.
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