We were saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Robert Spence, OH 1942-50, who passed away on September 20th 2024, at the age of 91 years. He is survived by his son and daughter, along with two grandchildren and a great grandchild.

Robert was a former Head of Department and a pioneer of circuit theory and human-computer interaction at Imperial College London.  Although he retired in 2000, he remained as a Senior Research Investigator and Emeritus Professor in the Department until his death, and until recently was still supervising student projects.

Robert left Hymers College in 1950 to start a career in telephony at Hull Corporation Telephones.  From there, he went to, what was formerly called the University of Humberside, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1954.  He was then accepted as a postgraduate student at Imperial College London, where he mainly stayed for many years, doing research and teaching students.  He joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at Imperial College in 1958 as a research assistant for one year, and later returned as a lecturer after a brief period working in Rochester, USA. He completed his PhD at Imperial College in 1959 and was one of the pioneering researchers in the field of electrical circuit theory and communication networks.

Robert previously told us how he had great fun inventing in 1967, and bringing to the international marketplace in 1985, the first computer-aided design system that allowed a circuit designer to draw his or her circuit on a computer display and examine its behaviour on the same display. More recently, he designed an app that allows a person with Type-1 diabetes to self-manage their condition: others with appropriate skills are seeing it through clinical trials.

In his final years, he self-published, via Amazon, an autobiography with the title "Engineering can be fun: an academic's engagement with the information age", about the fascinating range of experiences he had encountered during the last 80 or so years.

Related Articles:

• Bob's Book on a Career in Engineering
• Professor Bob Spence FREng 1933 - 2024, Imperial College's tribute