Bobby Hersom (born 1929 in Cheshire, England) is a British mathematician and computer scientist known for her early work on computers at Elliott Brothers, Hatfield Polytechnic, and the Rothamstead Agricultural Research Station. [1]
Hersom was born Roberta Lewis [2] in Cheshire, England, the oldest of three children. She earned a maths degree from the University of Cambridge in 1950. She then earned a teaching degree in 1951. [1] She was a member of The Round, an English Country Dance Club while at Cambridge. [3] [4]: 267
She married Ed Hersom, who she met through work, in 1954. [5]: 116
Her son Colin also attended Cambridge [3] and was a mathematician and her daughter was a farmer. [1] She regretted having to quit her work as a computer scientist after her first child was born, which meant she could only work freelance. [6]
Her husband died in 2002. [4]: 302
After earning her teaching degree, Hersom worked as a teacher, but realized she didn't enjoy that work. [1]
She started working in the Theory Division at Elliott Brothers in Borehamwood, UK, in 1953. [4]: 262, 267 There she wrote software programs for Nicholas, a research computer. Some of the software she developed processed radar data. [1] In 1954, she left that job to start her family. [5]: 116 [2]
Hersom then worked for Rothamstead for 11 years. [1] She later worked as a consultant for Hatfield Polytechnic, along with her husband. She worked there until retirement. [1]