Perham, Richard

Person

Perham, Richard

1937-2015

Professor Richard Perham was born on the 27th of April 1937, in Middlesex. He secured a scholarship to Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, where he sat A-Levels in Pure and Applied Maths, Physics and Chemistry, as well as the entrance exam for Cambridge. He was the first in his family to go to university, but before coming to St John’s he undertook his national service in the Royal Navy.

As an undergraduate, Perham studied Natural Sciences with a specialisation in biochemistry, graduating in 1958. While studying for his PhD (1961), Perham and his supervisor Dr Ieuan Harris identified a key cysteine residue required for protein activity-- this was far from his only contribution to the field of science. In 1965, Perham was appointed Demonstrator in the Department of Biochemistry, and was also awarded a Fellowship to study at Yale University’s Department of Molecular Biophysics, where he met his future wife.

Perham’s achievements were many. He was known for his work on the chemistry of proteins and giant protein complexes, including the introduction of important techniques in the chemical modification of proteins, among numerous other fields. He held positions on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine and the Scientific Advistory Committee, among others, and spearheaded a transformation of the European Journal of Biochemistry as its Editor-in-Chief. He was a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a winner of the Max Planck Prize and Novartis Medal of the Biochemical Society. He was an author on more than 350 scientific papers.

Within Cambridge, Perham was made a Research Fellow of St John’s College in 1964, going on to become Director of Studies in Biochemistry, Biology of Cells and Genetics, and finally University Professor of Biochemistry in 1989. He was also a Tutor in College from 1967 to 1977, and participated in the May Ball Committee and the Lady Margaret Boat Club. He was President of College for four years beginning in 1983, and was elected Master of College in 2004.

Perham married Dr. Nancy Lane in 1969. They had two children, Temple and Quentin, and two grandchildren. He was a keen gardener, photographer and musician, interested in theatre, antiques and opera. He died on the 14th of February 2015, aged seventy-seven.

The Eagle, 2015, p. 128.
Who's Who (2016): https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-30575