Professor Bob Spence FREng 1933 - 2024

Bob Spence supervised my Masters project. He was a wonderful mentor and human being -- caring and interested. His passion for hs work between came through in every interaction and is something I will carry with me for a long time. My thoughts and prayers are with Bob and his family.

As a research assistant and PhD student in the mid 1970's Bob allowed us to use the A/D input to his PDP Computer, to sample the fluctuating signal received with our Millimetre Wave link to Crystal Palace tower, on the roof of the EE Building. Always enthusiastic. RIP.

Bob Spence oversaw my final year project. He was a wonderful mentor and human being -- caring, interested and supportive. His passion for technology, humans and the connection between came through in every interaction and is something I will carry with me for a long time. My thoughts are with Bob and his family.

I also recall Bob's inspiring lectures to undergrad students (in 1979 in my case). He sometimes started by saying 'I have forgotten to bring my notes, can you help me work though the topic' - a wonderful way to keep us engaged. I also helped with some 'behind the camera' work for his 'Office of the Professional' video, which showcased some truly visionary examples of how the technology would evolve. A brilliant mind, and an excellent educator. RIP Bob.

It was a great privilege to work with Bob Spence Bob Bogner and Colin Cherry from 1970 to 1974. I remember gentleman Bobs reassuring manner and quiet advice backed up by enthusiastic encouragement and genuine pleasure at his team and colleagues achievement. Thanks Bob for making engineering human and for your help and advice. RIPV

If it was not for Bob Spence making sure that I was ok after a terrible headache I had on my first day of EEE in 1998, I would never have started my degree let alone finished it or had any hope of a salaried career in London. I think Bob already knew I was not the “headache as an excuse” type, as he was the kindest gentleman I ever met, and so he did actually have some paracetamol and a coffee at hand as well as some words of encouragement, which is more than my father ever did for me.

Fondly remember Prof. Spence teach us in our first year in Circuits and that was in 1996. Always remember how he can draw circuit diagrams very nicely on the white board with long straight lines and explain the concepts very well. A very kind gentlemen! God bless and RIP.

From the minute you were in Bob's presence, you knew you were in the presence of a great. A great teacher, a wise elder, an amazing human being. His enthusiasm was infectious, his care in communication transformed the complex into engaging meaning, and above all his magnetic charisma left you inspired to have a go. A gift - we were lucky to know him!

I have fond memories of his workshop 40 years ago and one in particular where we had a bit a giggle over a hideous mistake I made. He deftly turned it into a learning opportunity. Mark Alderton

From 1975 to 1978, I was a D.I.C., M.Phil., and Ph.D. student under the supervision of my beloved Professor Robert King. I tenderly remember Professor Bob Spence: his kind remarks and his great personality. His lectures and research were very breakthrough at that time.

I met Prof Spence in 1994 when I was doing an MSc in Communications and Signal Processing. That year, Profs Spence and Cheung were the chairs for the ISCAS conference and they invited students as helpers. That gave us the opportunity to attend the conference, for me and many other students was our first conference. To identify the helpers we were given yellow caps with the letters ISCAS. On the opening, Prof Spence introduced the helpers with the yellow caps and the last slide showed a photo of himself and prof Cheung wearing the yellow caps with a warning something like “do not be fooled by fake students!”, which brought a laughter from the audience.

I have hugely fond memories of Bob, having studied with him in the final year of my BEng (85-88). Bob supervised my final year project, on the subject of "An information system based on the concept of Adjacency", which helped develop some thinking Bob had been doing in the Information Engineering space. I've subsequently come to appreciate that the concepts embodied by the project had much in common with subsequent development of the internet and how visionary Bob had been at the time. In fact, I occasionally idly wonder whether, if I'd accepted Bob's kind offer to supervise me for a PhD, we might have ended up developing something like the World Wide Web, which was still a few years away at the time !

Fond memories of one of our favourite lecturers and tutors (EE84-88). Such a lovely man and a great (and entertaining!) teacher. RIP Prof Spence.

Prof Bob’s first lecture in 2001 on Circuits and Analysis was more than just about circuits. I can’t forget his motivational opening on types engineers. Without going in full detail, if he asked in an engineer to bring A, the best one would bring A, B and C… I have benefited from this throughout my career to identify high performers. He was an incredible educator. God speed!

I joined Dept. of Electrical Engineering,Imperial College of Science and Engineering, in October 1974. Professor Robert Spence taught me "Circuits and Systems" in Lecture Theatre 408 during the first year. After more than 40 years, I stll remember his perfect charm of giving his lectures to attract all students' attention. Even though I am a student from Hong Kong at the time, his English is absolutely clear and at the right tone and speed to let me understand the essence of the subject. Actually, after my decades of industrial and academic experience in Hong Kong, Singapore, USA and Japan, Professor Spence is one of my most respected academic tertiary education professor in the world.

My very first lecture in EEE was by Prof. Bob Spence - 1.01 Circuits and Analysis back in Oct 2001! A great and entertaining start to electronics. It was entertaining because his got the entire class of 200 students to stand up with their hands waving at 90 degrees to each - just so we would understand inductor's and capacitor's voltages and currents being out of phase! He was very much the life and soul of the EEE department and would be in evolved in student events like the EERevue. Some of my classmates were fortunate enough to have him as a final supervisor and worked on Bifocal Display. He was engaged in research and always pushing the boundaries of Human Computer Interface. I still show colleagues from of his research that is available on Youtube. Prof. Spence will be very much missed by all EEE students, faculty and alumni

I remember Prof. Spence when he supervised our project "2020 Vision" back in 1992. He was truely kind and inspiring! We will miss you.

It is with deep regret that I learned of Bob's passing. I suspect of all the lovely tributes you have published mine may be the oldest as I studied Electrical Engineering with Bob under Prof. Colin Cherry and Dr Boothroyd in 1954/5 at Imperial in the old Exhibition Road building? - he was reading for his PHD. Bob had a lovely girl friend and later his wife, Kathy, who had a most beautiful singing voice. He was an exceptional individual never to be forgotten, great fun, kind, friendly to all and on top of all that exceptionally clever and clear thinking. We met with our wives in later life from time to time - A very special person and friend; indeed. Tony Parker

Prof Bob Spence taught me Year 1 Analogue Electronics in 1991. I remember his first lecture , he said never to argue with your wife on the colours in your kitchen renovation project. Women can see more shades of colour than men ever can. I remember him fondly. Rest in peace, Bob.

I was with the Electrical Engg. Department of Imperial College during 1979-1983, first as a Commonwealth Scholar from India (1979-1981) to do my second PhD and then as a MRC Post-Doc Fellow (1981-1983). Prof. Roberst (Bob) Spence was one of the very few faculty including my thesis advisor Dr. Robert A. King whom I often remember for their nice and affectionate behaviour apart from their academic quality. He was the only IEEE Fellow, I guess, at that time in entire EE Department. I often cite those teachers to my students whenever Imperial College becomes a point of discussion. My deep condolence to his bereved family members. May his departed soul be rest in peace.

I started my PhD in 1981 with Bob. A wonderrful experience and truly a great man. I will never forget his parting words, now that you are done, one piece of advice : you don't have to listen to anyone's advice!

Bob was my lecturer in Electronic Circuit Design in yr 3 Elec Eng (1975/6) and also supervised my final year project. My abiding memory is of the exam he set. It was the only open book exam I ever sat, and also therefore the only exam I ever sat where I felt that my understanding of the subject was being examined, rather than my ability to regurgitate facts. A brilliant and inspiring person.

I was an undergraduate student at Imperial College in the then Dept of Electrical Engineering from 1972. Bob was one of our lecturers and what struck me about him was his fresh, inspiring and encouraging approach to teaching. He supervised my 3rd year project "Frequency Domain Analysis of Electrical Circuits" in 1974 and not did we become good friends but we worked together on various projects since then. I will miss his friendship and professionalism.

I started my PhD with Bob in 1980 and he became a lifelong family friend! Amazing creativity! We will miss him!

I was an undergraduate finishing my degree in 1993. Bob supervised my final year project on human computer interaction and was fantastic. As well as really supporting me he made me feel part of the Jan including social events. As other have said famous for his Hawaiian shirts and loved his steel pan band.

So sad to hear of Bob’s passing - I joined the Lab then on floor 10 of Elec Eng as his PhD Student in January 1993. What followers was 7 years of intensive collaboration. Bob and I were both fascinated to explore the best ways to represent information for different problem situations. Our work on Information Visualisation came just as computers were becoming fast at producing graphical “interactive” images at speed. So there was a wealth of new options to explore and we did. Applying these interactive techniques to visualising tolerance design, financial models for Reuters and response surface modelling. We took our explorations to a wide variety of conferences and meetings from database, to geographical information dsystems, data mining, Infoviz, ACM CHI, Advanced Visual Interfaces. In many places across Europe and North America. It really was a very special time for me. We kept in touch since. I helped him structure his second edition of his book on information Visualisation. And.I called him in to help on some consultancy of mine. In 2012 I came back to Imperial and helped teach interaction design to first year engineers. I remember him making each student buy a sketch book. It was a great pleasure to watch Bob teach. He would nudge his students in the right direction. Encouraging them to think for themselves . He took pleasure in thinking up problems for students to solve that would test their skills. I learnt a great deal about how to mentor and guide by watching him. I am glad that we caught up fairly recently both formally at the celebration of 65 years of his career. And also privately one on one at his beloved Polish club. Hard to believe he has really gone. I am sure I am not the only one to consider him to be my best collaborater. Bob took great pleasure in the serendipity found when disciplines clash. I’ll never forget the sparkle he would get in his eye when he had a new idea - a truly creative soul.

It was a privilege to attend his lectures something like 30 years ago. I can also bear witness to Bob's famous Hawaiian shirts. I understand that the funeral was family only which is understandable. I would be very interested in attending if there were a memorial lecture or similar.

I started making videos with Bob back in the days when we were still running in black and white (1975). The first video we ever made in colour was actually with Bob (1979). All of these videos are now on YouTube and you can find a Playlist I've created with these videos. Find the Imperial YouTube channel for that playlist. And an in joke between Bob and myself was from the "Office of the Professional" video was where we would simply say "HERE" when referring to something. Watch the video to see why that was. We had great fun making all of those videos over the many years. Office of the Professional (1981) was the biggest challenge to create.

I was just an EE undergraduate student, started in 1979, but even for me was inspiring when we had Prof. Spence, to hear how technology was impacting design and analysis, for example when he talked about computer-aided circuit design.

He was my friend and mentor.

My email to Bob bounced this morning (20-10-24) …. We would meet on a regular basis at his favourite restaurant The Aphrodite in Queensway and my email was to arrange our next meeting. I first met Bob at CHI the Computer Human Interaction conference in 1989 and I have no idea what made us click, he from an electronic engineering background and I from art and design, but we did. I think that is part of what made Bob so likeable, his openness and generosity to people and ideas. A few years on we found ourselves back together at Reuters, he introducing a couple of his students to the information visualisation work that was happening there and I was running Interaction Graphics team. This led to me giving his students lectures in visual design and to us having a close friendship. As I said, we would meet regularly at the restaurant and I would retrieve various printouts from my bag of my latest projects which he would study intently and offer considered responses. Me doing the same to his ideas and projects. On what turned out to be our last meal I must admit he looked very frail but I put that down to his last operation. I had been looking forward to showing him were we had taken his ideas (in professional motor racing), sadly not to be, he would have been ever so excited. Goodbye old friend.

I had the privilege of being a student, colleague, and collaborator of Bob at Imperial. He taught me Analysis of Circuits during my first year as an undergraduate when I joined EEE. He was a truly inspiring lecturer, always with his unique style—turning up in his white lab coat and bolo tie. He received nothing but praise from the entire undergraduate cohort. Having Bob as a colleague in the Circuits and Systems group was always a pleasure. He was approachable and had great stories to share about the origins of analogue electronics, semiconductors, and CAD design. I'll always remember his tales of IEEE ISCAS '94 in London and the reception at Guildhall! I was also fortunate to have Bob as a co-investigator on the EPSRC grant ARISES in 2016. Bob was always very collaborative, and during the project, I came to truly appreciate his incredible skill in design and human-computer interaction. I saw firsthand how he pioneered a new type of user interface for our diabetes management app to enhance usability. It was a pleasure to brainstorm and work with him, and this work was featured in his most recent book in 2022, Engineering Can Be Fun: An Academic's Engagement with the Information Age. Thank you, Bob, I feel truly fortunate to have known and worked with you. Rest in peace.

The very first lecture I attended at Imperial was by Bob on the 7th. Of October 1971. As a youngish academic he had made a fuss about the way the Electrical Engineering course was taught. So, he was asked to redesign it. Us, new students were enthralled by his style and manner and hoped all university lectures would be like his. I returned to college in 1975 to pursue a doctorate. There was no question as to whose research group I would join. Bob was an inspiring teacher and leader. He built research teams which people wanted to join. Many of his associations – like mine, tutor-student, colleague, collaborator on books and papers, and most of all friend - lasted for decades. As a tutor he would extend his concern from the professional to the personal if his students needed help. Amongst his students and research teams he generated great friendships, loyalties and respect and engendered confidence. He had great charm and sense of fun and enjoyment. There was always a social dimension to his teams, Dinners at Greek restaurants with Bob dancing on the tables, a summer barbecue in his garden in Surrey and the annual New Year’s Eve party. At international conferences he would promote the work of his students and try to open opportunities for them with employers. His professional reach extended internationally, with academics preferring to spend sabbaticals with his group. In 1994 he was chairman of the IEEE – ISCAS conference in London, which in the judgement of most attendees was the best there had ever been. As a truly great researcher he never stood still in what he sought to work on. His own doctorate was in the “mundane” subject of oscillator design, yet he was a very early researcher into Computer Aided circuit Design and then to man machine interaction. His curiosity saw a research angle in any everyday activity, looking for scientific algorithms which drive our everyday lives. Beyond being an inspiring educator, he was a very decent human being.

I had the privilege to be supervised by Prof Spence, in 2022-2023 for my Final Year Project. He put in special effort to meet his students every week, to discuss with us about the progress of the project and was always so warm and kind. He liked to challenge me with questions, which not only made me focus solely on the project itself but to learn about the methodology of scientific research itself. I truly enjoyed weekly discussions with him, which made me imagine so many possibilities about the project. I am so sorry to hear this sad news, and I will always remember his lessons with me. Rest in Peace.

I'd been fortunate to have worked with Bob for over 30 years and I couldn't have asked for a more understanding and a supportive boss. My job interview lasted less than 5 minutes and the crucial question that sealed my position was whether I could read the list of balances produced by the finance dept. to give him the correct balance of his staff account. Working for Bob was fun and offered lots of opportunities to meet interesting and fascinating people from all over the world. He was admired and respected by his students and many remained in touch long after graduating. His love of parties was well known and his toga party is remembered to this day by some of us. I will miss him and never forget him.

I had the privilege of working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Professor Bob Spence during my time as a PhD student. One of my responsibilities was to assist him with uploading his lecture materials to the online learning environment. Every Wednesday, Bob would visit me at my desk to hand over his lecture notes on a USB stick, and he was always deeply concerned about how the notes were organized to ensure they were useful to students. What stood out most was Bob’s humility. Despite being a senior professor, he never asked me to visit his office. Instead, he would come to my desk, sit with me, and patiently work through the uploads. Even during weeks when there was nothing to upload, Bob would make the effort to visit, just to ask how I was doing and how my PhD was progressing. His kindness, care, and respect for others, regardless of their position, were truly remarkable. I often looked forward to his visits, knowing he would greet me with a warm smile and a genuine interest in my well-being. Bob was, without a doubt, the kindest and most humble person I had the honor of knowing at Imperial College. He will be deeply missed.

It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Bob Spence, a distinguished academic and a dear friend. Bob was not only a brilliant scholar but also a warm and generous person who touched the lives of many. He was a supportive colleague, always willing to lend a helping hand or offer advice. His dedication to his students was unwavering; he nurtured and mentored countless undergraduates and postgraduates, inspiring them to reach their full potential. Bob, was an inclusive person, generous to all with no silos, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone. Recognised for his innovative and creative research, Bob made significant contributions to his field. His deep knowledge and engaging teaching style made him a very popular lecturer, captivating his students with his passion and enthusiasm. We missed Bob’s wife Kathy very much, when she passed away, and we will also miss Bob dearly. His legacy to the Department and College lives on. His loss will be felt by all who knew him.

Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Bob will know that he was an exemplary teacher, researcher and human(e) being. As a teacher he was at the vanguard of teaching technology, long before large screen flat-screen televisions, he introduced multiple CRT TV screens into large lectures theatres to improve visualisation. His use of audio-visual resources predated YouTube by decades. The eventual innovation of Virtual Learning Environments was meat and drink to his teaching methods. In a presentation he made to new research students; he quantified the overall cost of attending a typical seminar by all the attendees. Starting with the per person cost of breakfast, travel, registration etc. he arrived at a frightening overall cost for all the attendees. His moral was to treat your attendees as valued guests, and do the preparation needed to justify their cost of attending the seminar. As a researcher it is hard to convey how his point and click interface to Minnie, his electronics design software, was ahead of its time. Others can expand on his research. Simply put, his teaching and research was visionary. If you were privileged to know Bob in the context of a research group, you will have enjoyed his Friday afternoon doughnuts. As head of department he innovated departmental festivities that united all staff. His Hawaiian shirts were legendary around the college, and cheered up any meeting. The journey from an apprenticeship in Engineering to an Imperial legend informed some of his recruitment decisions, leading to yet more Imperial legends. His contribution to the college was immense. If you ever met Bob in any context you were blessed. Liam Madden (honoured to be able to say, Bob was a colleague)

I was taught first year undergraduate analogue circuits by Bob. He was a wonderful lecturer, with great clarity. He also had the amusing habit of coming in a white laboratory coat, writing on transparencies with permanent markers – he told me because the others smudged – and bringing a large bottle of aftershave (I think Brut?) to the lecture room to wipe them clean. The coat was to protect his clothes from the permanent marker ink. We left each lecture knowing more about analogue electronics but also with the smell of aftershave in our nostrils for the next hour! In 3rd year human computer interaction, I remember one particular story he told, of being stuck in a revolving door. The door had a sign “do not push here” on it, so he patiently waited, expecting it to be automatic. When it didn’t move, he pushed the door anyway, despite the sign. When again it didn’t move, he suddenly thought “maybe I should push the other side – maybe it goes clockwise not anticlockwise” – and was right! The moral, he explained, was “don’t write ‘Don’t do X’”, write “do Y”, it’s so much clearer! Older members of staff will remember our former stores manager, Ray Gingell. Ray had joined the department straight out of school, if I remember correctly, and I remember him telling me with pride that Bob’s arrival at the department had changed everything for technical staff, with his very simple edict: “call me Bob”. Up until that time, technical staff addressed academic staff as “sir”, Ray told me, and Ray felt that this simple act was the start of a more collegiate environment within the department. When I became head of the Circuits and Systems Group in 2008, Bob was always warm and supportive and helped me find my understanding of the group structure which – after all – he had set up as head of department! Google "MINNIE: Computer Aided Circuit Design System 1979" to see Bob in action on Imperial's YouTube channel. Thank you Bob, for all your service.

Bob was my EIE Final Year Project supervisor last year ('22 - '23). He was an absolutely amazing and inspiring man - someone who was always passionate about human centered design in everything he did, even at his age of 91. Even though I had graduated, we kept in close contact, exchanging ideas and thoughts on a weekly basis this past year. We had the intention of presenting at a conference one and a half months ago, but at the last minute due to a health issue, he told me to attend without him and to let him know how it went. I remember excitedly emailing him afterwards, telling him about the interesting people I had met and ideas I had come across. He never responded. I am saddened to hear this terrible news, but am glad I had the honour of being his student.

Many years ago, when I joined the department as a young lecturer, I was entrusted with Bob’s Circuit Analysis problem classes. I had never learned so much about the subject as I did then. His notes were excellent, the questions were challenging yet insightful, and help was always readily available. I have fond memories of that time and will always remember Bob as the person who truly taught me what it means to be an electrical engineer.