Louis Wright Roberts (September 1, 1913 – November 3, 1995) was an African American[1] microwave physicist.

Roberts ultimately earned 11 patents throughout his career,[7] and published technical papers and journal articles about microwave theory.

[3][5] In 1944, Roberts joined Sylvania Electric Products as a manager in the tube division, where he worked on research and development.

[2][4] Also in 1950, Roberts formed his first company, Microwave Associates, Inc., which was eventually located in Burlington, Massachusetts, and known as M/A Com.

[9] In 1967, Roberts joined NASA to become chief of its Microwave Laboratory at the Electronics Research Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[3][4] He spent several years researching the application of microwave technology to air traffic control, before becoming the director of the Center in 1977.