Baroness Sharp is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. Since her appointment to the Lords in 1998, she has served as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education and Employment; Further Education, Higher Education and Skills; Innovation, Universities and Skills; and Science and Technology.

She is Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skills and Employment, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students, and is treasurer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Universities. She currently sits on the Social Mobility Select Committee in the House of Lords, and is also a member of the Skills Commission.

Baroness Sharp was a lecturer at the London School of Economics from 1964 to 1972, and became a Research fellow at Sussex University in 1981. From 1992 to 1999, she was Director of the Economic and Social Research Council.

She has published widely on science and technology policy.