7/9/2025
In recognition of the most recent transformative gift from Phillip (LAS ’69) and Ann Sharp, the directorship of the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) will be officially renamed as the Phillip and Ann Sharp Director. The inaugural directorship will be held by bioengineering professor Rohit Bhargava, the institute’s founding director. 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.
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In recognition of the most recent transformative gift from Phillip (LAS ’69) and Ann Sharp, the directorship of the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) will be officially renamed as the Phillip and Ann Sharp Director.
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.
A member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, a National Cancer Institute-designated basic laboratory cancer center, Sharp led a transformation into a new collaborative model, bringing together biologists, chemists, and engineers from biological, chemical, mechanical, and materials science, as well as computer scientists and clinicians, to develop tools and technologies that improve cancer care. He codified this approach as a convergence of disciplines that can revolutionize the understanding and treatment of cancer as we know it.
"This convergence would not have happened 20 years ago, but now we understand that cancer requires multiple disciplines, people, locations, and backgrounds,” said Sharp. “I hope that we bring the benefits of basic science, technology, and engineering to improve the lives of those who’ve experienced cancer.”
For this most recent transformative gift to CCIL, conversations between Sharp and Chancellor Robert Jones helped inspire and shape what became the Phillip and Ann Sharp Directorship of CCIL. During his tenure, Chancellor Jones has consistently championed Illinois’ future at the intersection of health and technology.
Chancellor Jones shared, “We are grateful for Phil and Ann’s generosity and vision in supporting the important work of the Cancer Center. Professor Sharp has not only made transformative scientific contributions but has helped shape the national cancer research community, led a major Basic Cancer Center in our nation, and translated the benefits of basic science to transform lives. I’m also delighted that Director Bhargava’s contributions are being recognized with the honor of being the inaugural Sharp Director of the Cancer Center at Illinois.”
Bhargava joined Illinois in 2005 and has gained global recognition for his research on chemical imaging and applications in cancer pathology, as well as pioneering novel educational models. Under his leadership as the founding director, CCIL has evolved from an idea into a formal campus interdisciplinary institute, engaging over 120 faculty members and hundreds of students and postdoctoral fellows from over 20 departments and six colleges. For his leadership of the CCIL, Bhargava was recently recognized with the university’s Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award.
“We formed the CCIL to bring together the world-class basic science and engineering expertise at Illinois to address problems in cancer,” said Director Bhargava. “Our discovery-to-use approach exemplifies the convergence that Professor Sharp has championed and the model of impact that he represents. I am deeply humbled by the support Phil and Ann have extended to the Cancer Center, Illinois, and me personally.”
For more information on the CCIL, visit cancer.illinois.edu.
Rohit Bhargava is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and holds a Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. He also has affiliations with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, the Coordinated Science Lab, and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.