Sharps Lead the Endowment of the Directorship of the Cancer Center at Illinois
July 09, 2025 09:01 AM
The inaugural directorship will be held by Rohit Bhargava, the institute’s founding director.
One of ten interdisciplinary research institutes at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign, the CCIL was formed to transform how we understand, diagnose, and treat cancer. This naming reflects the Sharps’ ongoing commitment to Illinois and to the extraordinary work happening at CCIL, a cancer center at the convergence of engineering and oncology. The Sharps’ legacy of support traces back nearly forty years and underscores their long and deep relationship with the university.
Geneticist and molecular biologist Sharp obtained a doctoral degree in chemistry at Illinois in 1969 after earning his undergraduate degree from Union College, Kentucky. A faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for over 50 years, Sharp published his seminal work in 1977 about the discovery of RNA splicing, which provided one of the first indications of discontinuous genes in mammalian cells. This work revolutionized molecular biology and led to a shared 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Phil is also the recipient of an honorary degree from Illinois and the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon alumni by the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Ann Sharp also earned her undergraduate degree at Union College, majoring in elementary education. She spent over 20 years as a preschool and elementary school teacher. Phillip and Ann were married while students at Union College, and she supported their family during his graduate studies at Illinois.
