FEBRUARY 26, 2021, NEW YORK – It is with great sadness that we report the death of former Ludwig Board Member and Trustee, Sir Derek Roberts, who passed away on February 17th at the age of 88 due to complications from COVID-19. Sir Derek served on Ludwig’s Board for nearly 14 years before stepping down in 2012.
An engineer who twice served as provost of University College London, Sir Derek oversaw several successful projects and the university’s expansion during his tenure, including its merger with the Institute of Child Health. He was an early pioneer of silicon-based integrated circuit technology, now ubiquitous in electronic devices from PCs to satellites. His professional life was spent primarily in industrial scientific research, first at Plessy—one of Britain’s largest electronics manufacturers—developing complex integrated circuits, and subsequently, heading up General Electric’s research activities. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1980, he was awarded a Commander of the British Empire in 1988 and knighted in 1995 for services to engineering and education. The following year, he was elected President of the British Science Association.
The Ludwig Cancer Research community remains deeply indebted to Sir Derek for his dedicated service to our organization and the contributions he made in support of our shared mission to relieve the suffering caused by cancer.