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Meet our new faculty: Pini ​Perera

  • Published
Bambarendage Pinithi ​Perera, PhD
Headshot for Pini Perera (2025)
  • Discipline: Environmental Health Sciences
  • Research interests: I study epigenetics to understand how early life environmental exposures (particularly during pregnancy) influence long-term health and disease, using the mouse as a model organism.
  • Hometown: Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Current city: Berkeley
  • Hobbies: I enjoy long walks, jogging, hiking, traveling, learning new languages and cultures through cooking and TV shows.

Where did you live and work previously?

I lived in Ann Arbor, MI, from 2016 to 2025. I worked as a postdoctoral fellow and transitioned to a research assistant professor position at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (Department of Environmental Health Sciences). I also lived in Baton Rouge, LA, from 2012 to 2016, when completing my graduate training at Louisiana State University.

What drew you to work and teach at UC Berkeley?

Besides its highly collaborative environment and impactful research and scholarship, I was drawn to UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Division of Environmental Health Sciences because I felt heard, respected, and welcomed! I admire UC Berkeley’s commitment to providing an inclusive learning environment for everyone to achieve their professional and personal goals.

What are you currently working on?

My current projects focus on assessing the impact of human-relevant lead exposure during mouse development, with a particular focus on imprinted genes and non-coding RNA.

What are you most looking forward to this semester?

I am looking forward to setting up our lab space!

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