Cambridge scientist Dr Marta Shahbazi dies in Spain train crash
Dr Marta Shahbazi, an award-winning Cambridge University researcher, died alongside 69 others in a high-speed train crash near Madrid while traveling to collect a science prize.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Cambridge University researcher Dr Marta Shahbazi died in a major high-speed train disaster in Spain.
- The crash occurred near Urda, south of Madrid, involving Renfe and Iryo trains and resulting in 69 deaths.
- She was traveling to receive an excellence award from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology.
- Dr Shahbazi led a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology focusing on human embryos.
Dr Marta Shahbazi, an award-winning researcher and group leader at the University of Cambridge, was among the 69 people killed in the devastating high-speed train collision in Spain this week.
The mother of two was journeying to an awards ceremony on Wednesday when the train she boarded crashed into a stationary train near Urda, located south of Madrid. The disaster marks one of the worst rail accidents in modern Spanish history.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Specializing in cell biology, Dr Shahbazi directed the Shahbazi Laboratory at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Her pioneering work explored the earliest stages of human embryonic development and the causes of failed pregnancies.
"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,"
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB)
The LMB released a statement calling her death a profound shock and an immense loss to the institute. Prof Bertie Gottgens, director of the Stem Cell Institute where she also served as an affiliate principal investigator, added that her collaborative spirit and creativity will be deeply missed.
The tragic collision happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train collided with the rear of a stationary Iryo train. With over 540 people aboard the two trains, the catastrophic event prompted the Spanish government to declare three days of national mourning following one of Europe's worst modern rail disasters.
Dr Shahbazi completed her PhD at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre before moving to Cambridge as a post-doctoral fellow, eventually joining the LMB in 2020. Her sudden passing cuts short a brilliant career dedicated to advancing human developmental biology.
Source: BBC World
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