Robert Sharples grew up in Ridgefield, Queens. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School where he graduated in 1954. He graduated from the Cooper Union with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1958. He then attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a M.A. in Mathematics. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, Executive Management Training program.
He worked for Northrop Grumman Corporation from 1961 to 1996 in aerospace as an engineering and project manager. He managed numerous large projects for Northrop Grumman/TRW, including James Webb, National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), and Jupiter Icy-moons Orbiter (JIMO).
He also worked on the development of the US Air Force’s Minuteman III MIRV ballistic missile weapon system, as the Manager of Systems Engineering and Test for the Minuteman Program Office in charge of the testing of the weapon system.
From 1996 to 2014, he worked as a consultant for the firm that he headed, Sharples & Associates. He had multiple clients in the aerospace industry including Northrop Grumman. During this period, he managed proposal activities for Northrop Grumman leading to the win of the Next Generation Webb Space Telescope and other awards.
Robert Sharples taught in multiple programs. He led the instruction of 27 Taiwanese engineers at Northrop Grumman in all aspects of spacecraft design and development. He taught physics at Cal State University at Long Beach as an adjunct professor. And he taught astronomy for the University of Hawaii branch on Kwajalein.
He was a regular donor of The Cooper Union and a member of the Innovators Society at The Cooper Union.