Derek Roberts
Sir Derek Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Derek Harry Roberts 28 March 1932 |
| Died | 17 February 2021(aged 88) |
Sir Derek Harry Roberts(28 March 1932 – 17 February 2021) was an English engineer who twice served as provost ofUniversity College London(UCL), from 1989 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2003.[1]
Engineering
[edit]Roberts spent much of his professional life in industrial scientific research at Plessey'sCaswellresearch centre,[2]and later at the GECHirst Research Centreand as a director of GEC. For his contribution to earlysemiconductorresearch, Roberts was elected aFellow of the Royal Society[3]in 1980 and delivered theClifford Paterson Lecturethe same year.[4][5]He was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Academy of Engineering,also in 1980.[6]In 1986 he presented theBernard Price Memorial Lecturein South Africa.
UCL
[edit]Roberts became the Provost of UCL in 1989. Under his leadership UCL expanded significantly, merging with several institutions including the Institute of Child Health in 1996, the Royal Free Medical School in 1998, and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in 1999.[7][8][9]
Roberts retired in 1999, but returned to UCL in 2002 to act as interim Provost following the resignation of his successor,Christopher Llewellyn Smith.[10]He served until the appointment ofMalcolm Grantin August 2003.
Roberts died on 17 February 2021, aged 88.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Roberts married Winifred Short in 1958. They have two children.[12]
Honours and legacy
[edit]Roberts was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire[13]and in theQueen's Birthday Honours 1995he was appointed aKnight Bachelorfor services to engineering and to education.[14]
In recognition of his contributions to the faculty, UCL's main Engineering building was named the Roberts Building.[15]
References
[edit]- ^‘ROBERTS,Sir Derek (Harry)’, Who's Who 2011, A & C Black, 2011; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2010; online edn, Oct 2010accessed 20 Dec 2010
- ^"This is your Life: Caswell, The Cradle of the Electronics Industry"(PDF).New Electronics. 10 March 2009.Retrieved6 March2021.
- ^Pepper, Michael; Kelly, Michael (2024)."Sir Derek Harry Roberts. 28 March 1932—17 February 2021".Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society.
- ^"Library and Archive catalogue"(PDF).Royal Society.Retrieved7 March2012.
- ^"Tributes paid to UCL visionary and moderniser Sir Derek Roberts".UCL. 2 March 2021.Retrieved29 July2021.
- ^"List of Fellows: RAEng".Retrieved18 October2017.
- ^Harte, Negley & North, John (2004).The world of UCL 1828–2004.London: UCL Press. pp. 276–277.ISBN1-84472-068-3.
- ^"History of UCL Medical School".UCL. Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2011.
- ^"New UCL SSEES Building".26 October 2005.
- ^"Tributes paid to UCL visionary and moderniser Sir Derek Roberts".UCL. 2 March 2021.Retrieved29 July2021.
- ^Roberts
- ^Roberts
- ^"No. 51357".The London Gazette(Supplement). 6 June 1988. p. 6621.
- ^"No. 54066".The London Gazette(1st supplement). 16 June 1995. p. 2.
- ^"Tributes paid to UCL visionary and moderniser Sir Derek Roberts".UCL. 2 March 2021.Retrieved29 July2021.
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- 1932 births
- 2021 deaths
- Academics of University College London
- Presidents of the British Science Association
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- People educated at the Central Grammar School for Boys
- Provosts of University College London
- Knights Bachelor
- British academic biography stubs
- British engineer stubs