Amita Ramanujan

Full name: Amita Ramanujan

Address: 874 Hunter Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021* **

Birthdate: June 10, 1975

*Information is from a prop. Spoken dialog will take precedence in canon.
** This address has since been used twice for characters not associated with the Eppes family

Early Life:
Amita is born at Cedar Sinai Hospital and raised in California; she does not have any sisters. Her parents, Tapti and Sanjay Ramanujan,  and at least one grandmother emigrate to the United States from Chennai, India.  She grows up with several members of her extended family living with her (grandparents and at least one uncle). Her parents move back to India in 2007 to consult with the Indian Ministry of Finance. She isn’t interested in learning about her Indian heritage growing up as she wants to fit in with others at school.

Amita builds her first computer from scratch when she is thirteen. She has at least one job during her high school years working at The Gap clothing store. She states she was active in sports during high school intramural events.

She is arrested at a Pink Floyd concert when her boyfriend is caught with a joint.  She pays a fine and doesn’t really think more about it, considering it to not be a very big deal.  She is surprised when Charlie seems to takes the fact she withheld the information as something more serious.

Mathematics Career:
Amita has been working on her first PhD in Computer Science since roughly 2003.  She receives her PhD for her thesis on combinatorics in early 2005 and decides to research a second PhD in Astrophysics.  In early 2006, she is awarded the 85th annual Milton Prize for her dissertation work.

Her thesis adviser for her computer science degree is Dr. Charlie Eppes, her adviser for her Astrophysics degree is Dr. Kepler. She has recently started teaching classes for Dr Kepler dealing with the structure and dynamics of galaxies.

According to Larry Fleinhardt, she is one of the best coders in campus and her image enhancement algorithms are kept on hand at the LA FBI office. She is fluent in “Leet”.

In mid 2006 Amita tells Charlie she has been offered an assistant professorship in mathematics at Harvard.  She is undecided if she should take the job and things are further complicated when Charlie mentions there is a similar job opening at Cal-Sci.  In late 2006, Amita informs Charlie she has decided to stay in California and accept the professorship offered by CalSci.  She has trouble adapting to the new role of instructor, and wonders if she really should have gone to Harvard.  Larry reassures her she is doing well and she needs to have faith in herself before others will see her in this new role as well.

In late 2006, Amita announces she is now tenure track thanks to the new Division Chair, Dr Mildred Finch.  Amita is also excited to work with Dr Finch on one of Finch’s research projects and thinks having Dr Finch as a mentor is a smart decision. She has also been made part of the curriculum committee.  In early 2007 Amita admits to Charlie she’s having problems adjusting, and that she wants to leave the curriculum committee; she does decide in the end to remain on the committee.

Larry offers her the chance of a lifetime in early 2008 when he asks her to help him with research relating to Higgs boson, the “God Particle”; they spend roughly twenty hours a week working on the project.  The research is on hold by earth 2009 due to problems at CERN.

In early 2009, Charlie, Amita and Larry decide to start a once an month “think tank” to toss around interesting ideas.  After some initial hesitation, Charlie asks Alan to join the group. The group elects Amita as team leader and the group will consult with JPL on the next planetary rover.

In early 2010, Charlie is offered a visiting professorship at Cambridge; he is able to bring Amita with him, also as a visiting professor.

Personal Life:
She tells Alan Eppes her parents arranged a marriage for her to a banker in Goa, but she refuses to marry him, considering him “an ass.” This gentleman later marries a French woman he met in Belgium.

She has been out a few times with Charlie, however the dates do not go well.  She has told Charlie she is not sure she wants a social relationship at this time due to her studies.   When Charlie tried to make their relationship more serious, Amita mentions the Harvard job and that she doesn’t know what she wants to do. Amita and Charlie decide to try to make a relationship work after Amita chooses to stay in California. By the end of summer 2007, Amita has a key to the Craftsman home and has spent the night at least once; their relationship seems solid and more comfortable now as well. By late 2007 she and Charlie are working on a plan for her to move into the Craftsman house. Several months later it is clear Amita and Charlie are successfully living together. In mid 2009, Charlie proposes marriage. Charlie and Amita announce their engagement to Alan and Don after Charlie asks Amita’s parents for permission.  Both Charlie and Amita are surprised to discover Larry, Alan and Don have all independently figured out their plans to marry.

Amita is immediately enthused about their wedding, even sending Charlie samples of wedding invitations while out of town at a conference before a date is set. She is surprised when Alan presents her with a locket that once belonged to Margaret.

Charlie and Amita have a difficult time picking a wedding date due to various personal and family conflicts; and Amita does not want to be a June bride.  Alan finally suggests October 9, the date he and Margaret were married.  Charlie and Amita agree. With the offer to teach at Cambridge, Amita and Charlie move their wedding date up to early 2010. Charlie and Amita are married at CalSci with Larry officiating.

Amita tells Alan several times it is normal for parents in India to live with their married children.  Alan however doesn’t agree and starts looking for an apartment soon after Amita and Charlie are married.  Amita and Larry come up with a plan to remodel the garage as a guest house for Alan.

Amita is hesitant to introduce Charlie to her parents, especially her father.  She is afraid what will happen when her father finds out Charlie is not Indian.  Her plan is to introduce her father to Alan first and see what happens. Eventually, she introduces her parents to both of them at a dinner.

Amita is using the award money received for the Milton Prize to sponsor two Indian women she meets through helping the FBI return to school.  She is also planning a trip to India with her grandmother.

Amita has a watch stolen from her dorm room as an undergrad and as a result is especially careful locking doors, sometimes checking the locks two or three times.

When her parents visit, the family as several traditions including hiking through a local park and waffles at Roscoe’s.

Hobbies Likes/Dislikes:
Amita likes the band The White Stripes, Bugs Bunny cartoons and music by Skylar Wyatt. She is an excellent chess player.

Amita plays the MMORPG Primacy a few hours a week with a group of friends from her undergrad days.  She’s been playing since she was nineteen and her avatar’s name is Kali Goddess of Destruction.

Amita loves to watch magic and illusions.  She sees a romance in the illusion and tries to show this to a skeptical Charlie.

Amita seems to be a celebrity junkie as she reads Us Magazine and loves awards shows.

She does not eat red meat and she loves waffles and wine tastings.

Trivia:

• Amita’s computer user name at CalSci is mathgoddess
• First use of Amita inspired math description is in the episode Nine Wives
• She drives a red Volkswagen bug license number 6BFX346