Born in Hull, England, Spence received his Bachelor of Science in engineer in 1954 from the University of London, his Diploma of Imperial College from the by Imperial College London in 1955, and in 1959 his Doctor of Philosophy in engineering from the University of London. In 1983 he obtained a Doctor of Science in engineering from the University of London, and in 1997 a higher doctorate from the Royal College of Artist
Spence has spent his academic career at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Imperial College London, where he had started in 1958 as research assistant. In 1962 he became lecturer, in 1968 reader, and in 1984 Professor of Information Engineering. Since 2000 he is Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Investigator.
He has been visiting professor at the University of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.
At the Nanjing Institute of Technology, China. At the University of Canterbury, New Zealand since 2002.
And since 2003 at the Business School, University of Manchester. Since 2007 is also Honorary Professor at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
Spence was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1976.
Fellow of the City & Guilds of London Institute in 1989. And Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1990.
