User:Rebeccamroberts/sandbox

Dr John Maxwell Roberts(born 1948 ) FREng, FIStructE Past President and Gold Medal winner of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), and the designer of the London Eye, The Big One Rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and British Airways i360 at Brighton. He is Executive Director of Operations at Jacobs Engineering Group and is a Royal Academy Visiting Professor in Engineering Design, University of Manchester.

Education/professional achievements
Roberts graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1969 with a BEng (Hons) in Civil & Structural Engineering, and then carried out a 3-year research project on impact overload on steel structures leading to a PhD, also at Sheffield University, in 1972.

Accreditations include:
 * BEng Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Honours), Sheffield University
 * PhD	Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sheffield
 * DEng Honorary Doctorate, University of Sheffield
 * DTech Honorary Doctorate, University of Brighton
 * FREng Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
 * FICE Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
 * FIStructE Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers

Career
In 1981 Roberts began work as a Consulting Engineer for Allott & Lomax, who joined Babtie in 2000 and who in turn joined Jacobs Engineering Group in 2004. He is also a Visiting Professor in Engineering Design at Manchester University.

Roberts is currently an Executive Director of Operations in the Buildings team of Jacobs UK. He has wide experience in civil and structural engineering for construction projects across the industrial, leisure, residential, commercial, retail, health and education fields. A selection of his major projects includes:-


 * SAS Radisson Hotel, Manchester Airport
 * Battersea Power Station redevelopment
 * London Eye
 * Victoria Buildings, Salford Quays
 * Piccadilly Plaza redevelopment, Manchester
 * The Big One Rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
 * British Airways i360 at Brighton

Wider industry involvement
In 1999 Roberts was elected as President of the worldwide IStructE, and he remains actively involved with the profession. He has given expert evidence and advice on a number of legal cases and disputes over the last 25 years. He has appeared in court, at arbitrations and at public enquiries, and has given invited evidence before a House of Commons Select Committee.

His expert appointments have covered a wide range of issues in both design and construction and have particularly focussed on professional and practice issues for consulting engineers and their clients. He has an in-depth experience of appointments and contractual issues as they affect the performance of professional duties. He has also served as Chairman of the IStructE Practice Committee).

He is a well-known figure in the Civil and Structural Engineering profession worldwide and has made a number of TV and Radio appearances including Scrapheap Challenge, DriveTime and even “Richard & Judy”.

Awards

 * Gold Medal of the Institution of Structural Engineers
 * James Forrest Medal, ICE
 * The Lancashire and Cheshire Branch Prize IStructE
 * The Arnold Waters Medal, IStructE
 * Derrington Construction Medal, IStructE
 * British Iron & Steel Prize, University of Sheffield
 * Mappin Medal, University of Sheffield

Appointments

 * President, IStructE (1999-2000)
 * Royal Academy Visiting Professor in Engineering Design, University of Manchester (1995 onwards)
 * Chairman, Steel Construction QA Scheme Ltd (1994-1999)
 * Chairman, Joint Board of Moderators on behalf of ICE and IStructE (2010 -2014)
 * Former Member of Council and Executive Committee, Steel Construction Institute
 * Former Member of Council BCSA(British Constructional Steelwork Association)
 * Chairman, Structural Engineers Registration (SER) Limited (a not-for-profit company set up by ICE and IStructE)
 * Chairman of Trustee Board, IStructE
 * Director and Chief Engineer, Brighton i360 Limited