Cambridge lost one of its most outstanding scientists this week with the death of Professor Roger Needham CBE FREng FRS. He died peacefully at his home on the evening of Friday 28 February, after a valiant struggle with illness.

Roger’s most recent achievement, the creation of Microsoft’s Research Laboratory in Cambridge in 1997, followed a long and distinguished career with the University of Cambridge, unbroken since his undergraduate days here in the 1950s. Computer science was in its infancy when Roger became involved in the late 1950s and he made a major contribution to the way that the discipline developed over the subsequent decades.

Roger Needham was born in 1935, educated at Doncaster Grammar School and won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge to study mathematics. Roger graduated from Cambridge in Mathematics and Philosophy in 1956, and then took the Diploma in Numerical Analysis and Automatic Computing in 1957.

Roger married Karen Sparck Jones in 1958 when both were studying for PhD’s. They took up the challenge of building their own home, spending two years balancing the requirements of PhD study and the building project. Roger completed his PhD at Cambridge on the application of digital computers to problems of classification and grouping in 1961 and joined the Mathematical Laboratory, now known as the Computer Laboratory in 1962.

Over the next 20 years Roger championed Cambridge projects in operating systems, time sharing systems, memory protection, local area networks and distributed systems involving satellites. He spent about five to six weeks per year in Silicon Valley between 1977 and 1997.

In 1980 he became Head of the Computer Laboratory at Cambridge, a position he held until 1995. During this period he was made a Professor in 1981, elected to the Royal Society in 1985 and the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1993. He was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge from 1996 to 1998 and awarded CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2001. When asked about his greatest challenge, Roger admitted that being Head of the Computer Lab for 15 years was certainly an interesting experience.

Roger was a Fellow of Wolfson College for 35 years, playing a crucial role in the College's development. He was also a significant benefactor.

Professor Ian Leslie, current Head of the University's Computer Laboratory said:

"Roger was foremost an engineer, a builder of systems. However, he understood the need for solid theoretical foundations and made significant contributions to the theory of secure protocols. He had a broad vision of what computer science is, a vision which still defines the current shape of the Laboratory."

Roger also made significant contributions to the wider academic community in the UK, serving on numerous national committees, including the Alvey Committee, the University Grants Committee and the Computing Science Committee, forerunner of EPSRC.

He was also a citizen of the broader Cambridge. He was not just a University person, but one of the local community, interested in the welfare of the Town as well as that of the scholars. He entered public service as a Parish Councillor in the 1960s and subsequently served as a South Cambridgeshire District Councillor until the 1980s.

In 1997 Professor Needham agreed to start up the Microsoft Research Laboratory in Cambridge. This move into industry at the age of 62 was a bold step, one that epitomised the man. He was conspicuously successful in establishing a vibrant research organisation for Microsoft, bringing talent from all over the world to Cambridge.

Professor Roger Needham made an outstanding contribution to computer science for over 40 years in this country, an achievement that is recognised by all who have had the good fortune to work with him.

Professor Sir Alec Broers, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge said:

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