Amelia E. Perry

1991 - 2018

Amelia Elizabeth Perry, 26, died January 30 at her home in Somerville following a long struggle with severe depression and anxiety. The youngest child of Alan and Catherine Perry, of Concord, Amelia was born October 3, 1991, in Plano, Texas. She was raised in Manchester, England, and in Concord, attending the Concord Public Schools and then university in the UK. During these years, she was known as William. Most recently she was a graduate student in applied mathematics at MIT, a vibrant and beloved member of her community, and a solution-driven activist for trans rights and mental health care reform. She is remembered for her brilliant mind, her appreciation of the absurd, her musical talents, her profound generosity of time and energy, her patience, sensitivity, compassion, mirth, poise, sincerity, calmness and courage, and, by many, her enchanting eyes. She enjoyed a playful and creative childhood with her two older sisters, and demonstrated a remarkable affinity for math and music at an early age. While at Willard Elementary and Sanborn Middle School, she taught herself coding and wrote a 3D modeling program. She was, however, resistant to learning skills she did not value, such as tying shoelaces or writing neatly. At CCHS, she was especially active on the math team and in the orchestra. During summers, she took part in the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) at Boston University, later becoming the programs head counselor. There she acquired the intellectual foundation for independent research, and she discovered her passion for teaching and mentoring others. Amelia also played the violin and viola exquisitely, tutored by Ken Stalberg. Her powerful rendition of Bachs Chaconne seemed to make the entire recital hall resonate. At 21, she earned her masters degree in mathematics at Keble College, Oxford, where she studied algebraic topology, with a special interest in topological quantum field theories. She had a fondness for good shapes and a knack for explaining abstract concepts in visual ways. She helped and tutored many other students. Amelia established a series of undergraduate mathematics seminars and led orchestral and sports activities at Keble. She also enjoyed collecting delicacies at the covered market and cooking for her housemates. When she won a prestigious London Mathematical Society research prize, Amelia attended the formal ceremony with her childhood best friend from Concord, Lawrence Rubin. Amelias time at Oxford was a cherished opportunity to reconnect with many relatives in England. For the past five years, Amelia was a doctoral student at MIT. She was a leader in student social life and enjoyed catering large parties at her dorm, Edgerton. Academically changing course from theory to application, she made important research contributions at the intersection of data science, machine learning, optimization, statistical physics, probability and abstract algebra. Increasingly concerned about the ethical ramifications of machine learning technologies, Amelia sought out applications she felt were most beneficial to society. She recently made important advances in the use of mathematically proven algorithms to elucidate the structure of biological molecules through cryo-electron microscopy. Upon earning the PhD this coming summer, she had intended to take a postdoctoral position in a computational biology lab in Cambridge. It was during her time as a graduate student that Amelia more fully expressed her inner self, transitioning in 2016. She became engaged in LGBTQ student life and social activism and was fortunate to find, in Somerville and beyond, a tight-knit, loving, and sustaining community. She brought joy and magic into many lives. She also, however, endured numerous instances of threatening harassment and abuse as she went about her life. Amelia had experienced bouts of depression from a young age. Her health severely worsened in the last 12 months, and despite this immense struggle she fought with determination to remain connected to all whom she loved and to her pursuits. She self-advocated fiercely against an inadequate mental health care system that can be particularly insensitive to, and traumatic for, transgender patients. Throughout this time she was nurtured, supported, and cared for by her family and by her partners Daria Phoebe Brashear, Rox Sayde, and Georgia Squyres. Amelia is loved and remembered by her parents Alan and Cathy, sisters Nicola Perry and Caroline Perry, sister-in- law Caroline Sluyter, three grandparents, eight aunts and uncles, and nine cousins along with their partners and children. A service in remembrance of Amelias life is being planned in the Boston area for February 24. A website (ameliaperry.info) has been set up as a memorial, and further details will be posted there. In celebration of Amelias interests and activism, donations are suggested to GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, glad.org), the PROMYS Fund at BU (promys.org), BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics, beammath.org), or the Mass. Trans Political Coalition (masstpc.org).