Iqbal Parker is Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Scholar in Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology in the Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town.

Professor Parker was elected a founder member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and served as Treasurer, General Secretary and Vice President over the years. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Science where he served as Vice President for Southern Africa, Chair of the Forensic Audit Committee and acting Secretary General.

He is a fellow of the World Academy of Science (TWAS). He previously served as Secretary General and Treasurer of the Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and currently is the Secretary General of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). His research interests are in the areas of Molecular Biology and Genetics of Oesophageal Cancer, focusing on genetic aberrations in cancer susceptibility and biomarkers for early cancer detection using a Whole Genome Sequencing approach. He served as Vice President from 1997 to 1998 and as President from 1998 to 2001. Since 2006, he has served as a co-opted Council Member.