I am an innovative strategic leader with a proven track record of driving meaningful and sustainable change. With a doctorate in Physics and over two decades of professional experience, I bring deep expertise in strategic leadership, cultural transformation, and stakeholder engagement within high-performing, complex environments. My strategic vision is shaped by my lived experience of the research landscape and my ability to inspire teams to achieve impactful results.
I lead with purpose, emotional intelligence, and resilience, fostering high-performing teams and a culture of collaboration, innovation, and impact. I excel at designing interconnected strategies that enhance engagement, visibility, and influence. My approach includes advising senior leaders, building influential relationships, and leveraging strategic partnerships to maximise impact.
I am skilled at connecting and inspiring diverse networks, uniting people to achieve shared goals and drive systemic change. My leadership philosophy is grounded in compassion, purpose, and data-driven decision-making.
I am committed to collaborating with partners who share a vision for impact and progress. I hold multiple advisory roles across the sector and actively welcome opportunities for partnership working.
Dr Saher Ahmed

Advisory, Strategy, Collaborations & Partnerships
Advance HE, UK
The Babraham Institute, UK
Black in Cancer
The Black Women in Science Network
Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory at the National Centre for Research in Energy and Materials, Brazil
The University of Cambridge, UK
Cancer Research, UK
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health Group, UK
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory – European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL), UK
The Francis Crick Institute, UK
Helmholtz Munich, Germany
Institute of Cancer Research, UK
The Institute of Physics, UK
Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science and the Public
University of Cambridge, UK
The London Mathematical Society, UK
The University of Manchester, UK
Medical Research Council, UK
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK
National Emergencies Trust, UK
The National Institute for Heath and Care Research, UK
The University of Nottingham, UK
The Royal Academy of Engineering, UK
The Royal Society, UK
The Royal Society of Biology, UK
The Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
UK Research and Innovation
UN Women UK Delegate, UK
Wellcome Connecting Science, UK
Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK
The Wellcome Trust, UK
Reports and Publications
- “Targeted approaches to supporting people with Black heritage backgrounds in academia and research” (Sanger, Nexus Evaluation Ltd, 2024)
- “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Targeted action to increase inclusion at the Wellcome Sanger Institute” (E-Life, 2024)
- “Exploring the experiences of minoritised groups at life sciences conferences in the UK: new perspectives and actions to improve inclusivity in the sector” (Wellcome Open Research, 2024)
- “Sanger Excellence Fellowship Review” (Sanger, Nexus Evaluation Ltd, 2023)
- Genome Research Limited Gender Pay Gap Reports (Sanger, 2023)
- Blog post on Reflections on Race and Equity on Research (Sanger, 2021)
- Athena SWAN Silver submission (Sanger, 2020)
- “Embedding Gender Equality into Institutional Strategy” (Global Health, Epidemiology and Genetics, 2017)
Grants, Awards and Project Funding
Medical Research Council
2023
Cancer Research UK
2022
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Sanger Excellence Fellowship
2021
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Representation in Genomics PhD studentship programme
2021
Umbrella Analytics
Ethnicity Pay Gap analysis and reporting.
Secured pro-bono work, 2020
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Equality and Diversity fund
2019
Higher Education Funding Council
2012