Honoured for his services to education in the field of engineering, Roger has effected lasting contributions at the University for over 57 years, and provides wider STEM leadership and mentorship both nationally and internationally.
Roger Valsler, team principal and academic adviser at City St George’s Racing Team, has been recognised with the award of the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to education in the field of engineering in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
Throughout his career at City St George’s, University of London, Roger has been an instrumental figure in widening student access to educational, developmental and industry opportunities in Science Technology and Mathematics (STEM).
Roger began his career in the mid 60’s as a graduate apprentice at Trojan Engineering. There he worked on the early F1 cars of Bruce McClaren Motor Racing and its ‘Can-Am’ cars used in the North American race series’ short lived, yet ‘anything goes,’ era of racing car engineering.
F1 in Schools STEM Challenge
He has been an integral part of the global STEM Racing (formerly F1 in Schools) Challenge which began in 2003, and was developed to introduce students to STEM subjects in one of the most engaging ways possible – through the creation of a miniature F1 car.
Designed for teachers, informed by engineering experts such as Roger, and endorsed by F1, the Challenge programme sets students – particularly girls and those from other underrepresented backgrounds in STEM - on quite literally the fast track to STEM success by providing them valuable practical engineering experience and access to industry figures who support and mentor them.
Thanks to his leadership, three of Roger’s teams have won the World Finals three times and two of his schools have become the national champions on more than ten occasions. In 2022, St Pauls’ Girls School approached him to mentor them as a first year development team. Roger accepted and they progressed to the world finals that year. Many of his mentees have gone on to read STEM subjects at university and all attest to their positive experience on the Challenge with Roger.
City St George’s is an academic partner for the Challenge and awards Engineering scholarships to winning team members at the World finals each year. As well as representing City St George’s as a mentor and judge at a local and national level, Roger has acted as a senior judge at global Challenges, mentoring pupils in schools across Australia, Malaysia, and Portugal.
Joining The City University
In 1968 Roger joined what was then known as ‘The City University’ as a technician in the Aeronautics Department, now a part of the School of Engineering. He initially supported student and research projects in the area of aerospace engineering, including testing the fracture mechanics of parts of Concorde’s fuselage, and the creation of ion engine prototypes used in spacecraft propulsion for the European Space Agency.
By the mid-70s, Roger had transitioned to working on electrical engineering projects, including with high energy lasers.
He was one of the founding members of staff who pioneered the School’s Optical Fibre Research group which later became the Institute of Sensors and Instrumentation.
In 1990, Roger co-developed the School’s first short course in fibre optics for industry colleagues undertaking continuing professional development (CPD) and he was internationally recognised for his work in the field.
His expertise was also sought by Professor Donald Longmore (co-conducted first heart transplant in the UK), when Roger was seconded to the Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital to help them use optical fibre technology to assess what biocompatible materials to use in heart devices.
Providing support to our local community
Roger has a long record of working within the University’s local community in Islington. In 2014, in conjunction with the London Borough of Islington, the Department of Justice and the Metropolitan Police, he initiated and led a 12-week programme for young people who were at risk to build their confidence and knowledge of science and engineering subjects.
The students worked together with Roger and the Metropolitan Police technical training wing officers to build, and race go karts. It was a successful and popular project and Roger was acknowledged for his outstanding contribution to community engagement by the Council.
In 2020, Roger became a Visiting Lecturer in Engineering at the University.
Lightyear Foundation
Roger works with the charity Lightyear Foundation which supports children with learning difficulties to study and learn. He uses a modified version of the F1 in Schools Challenge to explain STEM subjects to them. The first competition held last year was a resounding success, and the organisation later received new funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering to keep developing its reach. Roger will continue his work with them, as Chief Consultant.
Reflecting on his award, Roger said: