Zahra Rahim is a Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing at Leeds Beckett University (LBU), where she provides academic and professional leadership across undergraduate nursing and degree apprenticeship programmes. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Cohort and Module Leader, she is passionate about preparing compassionate, resilient, and practice-ready nurses through innovative and inclusive approaches to nursing education.

Before transitioning into academia, Zahra developed a diverse clinical career specialising in emergency medicine and critical care nursing. Her experience includes working within NHS Emergency Departments, Critical Care Outreach, and internationally as a Nursing Officer onboard cruise ships with Carnival UK, delivering care in complex and fast-paced environments.

Alongside her academic roles, Zahra has recently completed the Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) programme, with a particular interest in restorative clinical supervision, workforce wellbeing, and creating psychologically safe learning and working cultures. She is also a Diversity Mentor at LBU and is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, championing equitable opportunities, representation, and belonging within nursing education and the wider profession.

Zahra is the England Lead for NurseAcademicsUK and Co-Lead of the Nursing Academic Workforce Special Interest Group, advocating for the development, sustainability, and visibility of the nursing academic workforce. She is also leading an LBU-funded small grants research project, in collaboration with London South Bank University, exploring the challenges, barriers, and successes experienced by younger academics in higher education, alongside student perceptions of these experiences.

A passionate advocate for connection and collaboration, Zahra champions authentic networking, peer support, and collective empowerment, believing that investing in one another is fundamental to thriving careers, stronger teams, and the future of nursing.