Derek Roberts facts for kids

Sir Derek Harry Roberts (born March 28, 1932 – died February 17, 2021) was an important English engineer. He was the leader, called a provost, of University College London (UCL) two times. He led UCL from 1989 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2003.

Sir Derek's Engineering Work

Sir Derek Roberts spent most of his career working in science and engineering for big companies. He worked at Plessey's research center and later at GEC. He was a director at GEC, which is like being a top manager.

He made big contributions to early research on semiconductors. These are special materials used to make computer chips and electronic devices. Because of his important work, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1980. This is a very high honor for scientists. He also became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the same year.

Leading University College London (UCL)

Sir Derek became the Provost of UCL in 1989. A provost is like the head or principal of a university. Under his leadership, UCL grew a lot. It joined with several other important schools and institutes.

• In 1996, UCL joined with the Institute of Child Health.
• In 1998, it joined with the Royal Free Medical School.
• In 1999, it joined with the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

Sir Derek retired from UCL in 1999. But he came back in 2002 to be the interim (temporary) Provost. He helped lead the university until a new permanent Provost was chosen in 2003.

Sir Derek Roberts passed away on February 17, 2021, when he was 88 years old.

His Family Life

Sir Derek Roberts married Winifred Short in 1958. They had two children together.

Awards and His Legacy

Sir Derek received many honors for his work. He was appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This is a special award from the British Queen. In 1995, he was made a Knight Bachelor by the Queen. This means he was given the title "Sir" for his great work in engineering and education.

To remember his important contributions to UCL, the main Engineering building at the university was named the Roberts Building. This shows how much he helped the engineering students and faculty there.