Tributes paid to UCL visionary and moderniser Sir Derek Roberts

Sir Derek Roberts CBE - Senior members of UCL's community, past and present, have been paying tribute to Sir Derek Roberts CBE, FRS, FREng, who twice served as the university's President & Provost. Sir Derek, an industrial engineer and scientist, passed away in hospital last month, following a short illness. He served as UCL President & Provost from 1989 to 1999, before returning to the role from 2002 to 2003. Prior to joining UCL, most of Sir Derek's professional life had been spent in industrial scientific research, including as Deputy Managing Director (Technical) of GEC, the former electronics and defence business. He had been elected a Fellow both of the Royal Society and of the Royal Academy of Engineering for his material contribution in the invention and development of early semiconductor research. The fact that he was chosen by the UCL Council from a non-academic background was seen at the time as a "brave" decision - something that few would now question with hindsight. Paying tribute to his former colleague, successor and long-time friend, Professor Sir Malcolm Grant, UCL President & Provost between 2003 and 2013, said Sir Derek was a transformational force.