Alan Clive Roberts (28 April 1934 – 1 December 2021) was a British materials scientist, consultant and engineer who specialised in

biomaterial A biomaterial is a substance that has been Biological engineering, engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose – either a therapeutic (treat, augment, repair, or replace a tissue function of the body) or a Medical diag ...

s, clinical prosthetics and implants in

reconstructive surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implicat ...

. He specialised in the research, development and the use of tissue adhesives in wound management. He is known by some as the "father of tissue adhesive". He was awarded the

Prince Philip Medal The Prince Philip Medal is named after Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was the Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE). In 1989 Prince Philip agreed to the commissioning of solid gold medals to be "awarded periodically to a ...

for research in the field of implantation materials in 1970, the MBE in 1982, and the

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for contributions to science and technology in 2002. He was director of the Centre for Clinical Prosthetics at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Professor of Biomaterials in Surgery at the Academic Surgical Unit of the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

. He was also a consultant clinical scientist at

Nuffield Hospital Nuffield Health is the United Kingdom's largest healthcare charity. Established in 1957 the charity operates 31 Nuffield Health Hospitals and 112 Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centres. It is independent of the National Health Service and i ...

in Leeds, and the head of the Clinical Prosthetics Department at

St Luke's Hospital, Bradford St Luke's Hospital is an National Health Service (England), NHS hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is situ ...

. Roberts was former joint director of the Institute of Health Research and was chairman of the National Research Ethics Service from 2006 to 2011. He was

Pro-Chancellor A pro-chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The pro-chancellor acts as a deputy to the chancellor and as practical chairman of the university council. In this role, a pro-chancellor may fulfil a number of for ...

and Chairman of the Court and Council at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

from 1983 to 2000. Roberts was a fellow of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

and was its vice-president from 2007 to 2009 and the founder of the Technology in Medicine section of the Society. He was also an honorary treasurer of the society. He was awarded the Honorary Fellowship at the Royal Society of Medicine, its highest honour, in 2010.

Early life and education

Born in Exeter in 1934, Roberts was a son of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

William Roberts MBE and Cathleen Roberts. He attended Askam House School and Gregg School in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

and then at what is now

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

and at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

Medical research

Roberts was a scientific officer of the Newcastle Royal Infirmary and completed his research degree (

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

) in medical materiel. Roberts developed "Silskin" from research in 1992 which was the first universal prosthetic skin with global use in clinical prosthetics. Roberts' research in 2006 produced a prosthetic adhesive to effectively overcome the difficulty of attaching materials, prostheses and devices to the body with particular reference to

colostomy A colostomy is an opening (stoma) in the large intestine (colon), or the surgical procedure that creates one. The opening is formed by drawing the healthy end of the colon through an incision in the anterior abdominal wall and suturing it int ...

and facial prostheses. He has published numerous scientific papers and books on his subject. He was a fellow of the

Royal Society of Biology The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

, a chartered biologist, a fellow of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript a ...

(FLS) and a fellow at the

City and Guilds of London Institute The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has be ...

. He was a Companion of Honour at the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

. He was a member of the international advisory board at the

University of Malaysia The National University of Malaysia (, abbreviated as UKM) is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), i ...

Medical School and a former examiner to the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

, School of Clinical Dentistry. He was an examiner at the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...

medical school in 2004. Roberts was awarded honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Leeds in 2000, the University of London in 2005, the University of Bradford in 2007, and

Brunel University Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

in 2007.

Other service

Following national service in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, Roberts joined the Territorial Army in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. As a reservist, he commanded the Leeds University Officer Training Corps as a lieutenant-colonel before becoming a colonel and deputy commander to the General Officer Commanding North East Military District. He was an honorary colonel commandant of the Royal Artillery, as well as honorary colonel of 269(WR) Battery 101 (N) Regiment Royal Artillery and former honorary colonel of a number of reserve units. He was a former chairman of the Council of United Kingdom Military Education Committees. He was also an honorary aide-de-camp to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

from 1980-1984. He was a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the County of West Yorkshire and County President South & West Yorkshire

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

. Roberts was a trustee of

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

, Action for Rehabilitation from Neurological Injury (ARNI),

SSAFA SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, also known as the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association, is a UK charity that provides trusted support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dep ...

, Carmichael Walker Committee, West Riding Artillery Trust, Maritime Heritage Foundation (2010). He was a county president of SSAFA West Yorkshire and was president of the

Leeds Group. He was president of Leeds District

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...

, was county president at

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

for West Yorkshire 1986-02. Chairman of the Army Benevolent Fund of West Yorkshire from 1972 to 1975 and was Gentleman Usher of

Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor (ISKB) was formed in 1908 in the United Kingdom and in 1912 received royal recognition, with Royal assent given by HM King George V for the Society to be called The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor. It ...

. In 2002, Roberts was awarded the Badge of the Order of Mercy by the League of Mercy Foundation. This is a self-styled order created in 1999 to imitate the

League of Mercy The League of Mercy was a British foundation established in 1899 by Royal Charter of Queen Victoria. The goal of the organisation was to recruit a large number of volunteers to aid the sick and suffering at charity hospitals. It was disbanded ...

that was dissolved in 1947; it is not an official award. He died on 1 December 2021, at the age of 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Alan Clive 1934 births 2021 deaths Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University Alumni of the University of Bradford Academics of the University of Hull People associated with the University of Leeds Fellows of the Royal Society of Medicine Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the City and Guilds of London Institute Engineers from Exeter 20th-century British biologists 20th-century British engineers British medical researchers British bioengineers Royal Artillery officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Military personnel from Exeter