The Vice President for Research Office's first Nobel Laureate Lecture Series at UVA occurred on October 14-15, 2021. Dr. Phillip Sharp is a 1993 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of RNA splicing. His work on the molecular biology of gene expression helped open a new area of molecular biology and brought us closer to understanding what causes cancer and other diseases.

Over the course of two days, Dr. Sharp met with UVA faculty and students, giving feedback on presentations. He delivered a lecture in the Rotunda on "A new biology: Convergence over the last decade and a vision for the future". In the afternoon, he participated in an informal Fireside Chat with Melur "Ram" Ramasubramanian, the VP for Research, From First Generation College Graduate to a Nobelist.

Monticello held a Jefferson-style dinner to welcome Dr. Sharp to Charlottesville on October 14, and gave him a unique tour of the house. He also met with University leaders, Deans and Department Chairs.