Professor Ian Robertson

We were sorry to hear that Professor Ian Robertson passed away in August 2024.

A talented engineer with a passion for teaching, Ian held several academic posts at King’s and enjoyed an extensive career in the electronics industry.

Sparking enthusiasm at King’s

Ian was part of King’s College London Engineers’ Association. It was here that his love of engineering and fascination for all things electronic began to develop.

After graduating, Ian pursued these interests with a job at the Plessey Research Group (an electronics, defence and telecommunications company), where he worked for two years.

Engineering an exceptional career

In 1986, Ian returned to King’s to take up a Research Assistant post, before becoming a Lecturer.

Highlights from Ian’s King’s career include his work on the Transformational Satellite Communications System (T-SAT) project and leading the Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC) Research Team. He became a Reader in 1994.

Four years later, Ian’s academic talents took him to the University of Surrey. Here, he formed the Microwave Systems Research Group and was a founding member of the Advanced Technology Institute. 

A talent for teaching

Ian joined the University of Leeds in 2004, where he remained for the rest of his career. He was known for his love of electronic ‘gadgets’ and was always keen to make his courses interesting and engaging.

Students fondly recall Ian’s ‘Consumer Electronics’ module for first years, which involved dismantling electronic products to see how they were made.

Outside the classroom, Ian was well-known for his sense of humour. At Christmas parties and social events, he was fond of donning silly outfits, much to the delight of staff and students alike.

A visionary thinker

Ian was described by colleagues and students as ‘a visionary’, known to be ahead of the game when it came to technology. He was a vocal champion for incorporating ethics in engineering teaching. Ian’s approach is now standard practice in engineering courses across the UK.

Over the course of his career, Ian embarked on many an academic quest with fellow colleagues. One of his greatest triumphs was his work to transform Robotics research at Leeds. This included co-creating ‘Pipebots’ – robots which could be inserted into pipes and help repair city infrastructure.

Perpetually curious, Ian will be remembered by friends, family and colleagues for his kindness and curiosity, and for never being afraid to ask, ‘why?’.

Details for this obituary were taken from the University of Leeds website.