Cambridge scientist Dr Marta Shahbazi killed in Spanish train crash
Dr Marta Shahbazi, an award-winning researcher at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, died in the Spanish rail disaster near Urda while travelling to collect a scientific prize in her native country.
BBC World
An award-winning University of Cambridge researcher has died in the Spanish train disaster while travelling to collect a prize for scientific excellence.
Dr Marta Shahbazi, a mother of two, was on board a train heading to an awards ceremony on Wednesday when it crashed into another train near Urda, south of Madrid. The collision killed 69 people.
Dr Shahbazi was an affiliate associate professor who led a group of researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, and had received several awards for her work on human embryos and cell biology.
In a statement, the LMB paid tribute to the "inspiring, talented and passionate scientist" and described her death as "a profound shock and a huge loss".
The cell biology expert ran the Shahbazi Laboratory at the LMB, which is based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. She had been announced as the winner of a Spanish Society for Developmental Biology award for her contributions to the study of early human development, and was due to collect the prize at a conference in El Rompido in Andalusia.
"As a wife and mother of two young children, Marta wrote eloquently about balancing her family and career, serving as a much-admired role model for a 'mother scientist', a term she used to describe herself," the LMB said.
"Marta was an inspiring, talented and passionate scientist whose research shed light on the earliest steps in the development of human embryos and how errors occur that lead to failed pregnancies," the institute added, noting that her work had been recognised with many awards and prizes.
Dr Shahbazi is also listed on the University of Cambridge website as a principal investigator at its Stem Cell Institute. Institute director Prof Bertie Gottgens said the community was "shocked and deeply saddened" by her death.
"Marta led her primary research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology alongside her roles as an affiliate principal investigator and affiliate assistant professor at the CSCI," he said. "Across both institutes, she was highly respected for her pioneering research on early human development and valued for her collaborative spirit. Her creativity, passion, and generosity will be greatly missed."
News of her death was first confirmed in a social media post by CiMUS, based in Santiago de Compostela, where Dr Shahbazi's aunt works. She undertook her PhD at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre before joining the University of Cambridge as a post-doctoral fellow and then the LMB in 2020.
The crash occurred when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of a stationary train operated by the Iryo company. It is one of the worst rail disasters in Europe's modern history and Spain's worst crash since 2013. Three days of national mourning have been declared, and more than 540 people were on board the two trains.