Phillip A. Sharp

Phillip A. Sharp is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and member of the Department of Biology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. He joined the Center for Cancer Research (now the Koch Institute) in 1974 and served as its director for six years, from 1985 to 1991, before taking over as head of the Department of Biology, a position he held for the next eight years. He was founding director of the McGovern Institute, a position he held from 2000 to 2004.

His research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. Dr. Sharp has authored over 430 papers. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society, UK. Among his many awards are the Nobel Prize in physiology or Medicine, Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the National Medal of Science. His long list of service includes the presidency of the AAAS (2013) and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the SU2C Project, AACR.

A native of Kentucky, Dr. Sharp earned a BA degree from Union College, Barbourville, KY, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Sharp is a co-founder of Biogen (1978) and served as a member of the Board of Directors (1982–2009) and as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. He is also a co-founder of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (2002) and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Sharp consults and serves on boards of other biotechnology companies.