Bill Thilly ’67 ScD ‘71, Professor of Biological Engineering, passes away at 79
Thilly’s research on the effects of environmental mutagens on human cells led to now widely-used assays
On Dec. 24, 2024, Professor William Thilly ’67 ScD ’71 of Course 20 (Bioengineering) passed away at 79. A professor of genetics, toxicology, and biological engineering, his research in the health effects of environmental contaminants led to the development of widely-used assays that could detect several mutations in a single test.
Thilly spent most of his career at MIT: after studying biology as an undergraduate, he went on to receive a Doctor of Science (ScD) in nutritional biochemistry, and then joined the faculty in 1972 as an Assistant Professor of genetic toxicology. One of Thilly’s most prominent research discoveries came soon after, in which he and his lab developed the TK6 assay, a test that reveals whether a given compound is likely to cause mutations in human cells. This assay is now commonly used by pharmaceutical companies to test the safety of new drug compounds.
From 1980 to 2001, Thilly led the Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS) at MIT, during which he and his team studied the biological consequences of burning fossil fuels. He also established MIT’s first Superfund research program, which explores ways to protect people from hazardous environmental chemicals, and directly engaged with community members at its site in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Throughout his career, Thilly actively engaged with students and constantly encouraged them to think about the real-life impact of their research. His passion for supporting underserved students drove him to make generous financial contributions to scholarship funds and personally take trips to historically Black universities to recruit more applicants to MIT. While a student at MIT himself, he left another lasting impact in a world far outside biology – the breakfast cereal industry. As an intern at Kellogg’s in 1965, he invented a cereal with dried apple and cinnamon that would later become Apple Jacks.