Derek Roberts

Sir Derek Harry Roberts (28 March 1932 – 17 February 2021) was an eminent English engineer whose career spanned more than five decades of groundbreaking work in semiconductor research and industrial innovation. After completing his engineering studies in the early 1950s, Roberts joined the Plessey Caswell research centre, where he quickly distinguished himself by advancing the understanding of solid‑state devices and contributing to several patents that helped shape modern electronics. In the late 1960s he moved to the GEC Hirst Research Centre, rising to senior management and eventually becoming a director of GEC, where his strategic vision guided the company’s investment in emerging technologies. His scientific achievements were recognised in 1980 when he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and delivered the prestigious Clifford Paterson Lecture, the same year he also became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Throughout this period Roberts was known for his rigorous analytical approach and his ability to translate complex research into practical applications that benefited both industry and academia. In 1989 Roberts was appointed Provost of University College London, a role he held until 1999 and briefly reclaimed from 2002 to 2003 as interim provost after the resignation of his successor. Under his leadership UCL underwent a remarkable expansion, merging with the Institute of Child Health (1996), the Royal Free Medical School (1998) and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (1999), thereby broadening its interdisciplinary reach. He was honoured with a CBE and was knighted in the 1995 Birthday Honours for services to engineering and education, and in 2005 the university’s main engineering building was named the Roberts Building in tribute to his influence. Married to Winifred Short in 1958, the couple raised two children. Sir Derek Roberts passed away on 17 February 2021, aged 88, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire engineers and scholars alike.