Shabbir trained in Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne, and has a special interest in renal physiology particularly with regard to renal stone formation. His PhD was on pyrophosphate transport physiology in the kidney. He runs the Metabolic Renal Stone clinical service and the Fabry nephropathy clinic at the Royal Free, and is principal investigator and chief investigator for four trials in rare stone disease. He has an interest in rare renal diseases as part of the RADAR (National Renal Rare Disease Registry) network, and is chair of the groups for hyperoxaluria and APRT deficiency. He was the nephrologist member of the NICE Guidelines Committee for renal stones, and is currently on the Quality Standards Advisory Committee for renal stone.