Dr. Pini Perera is a Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health. Her primary research interests lie in the field of environmental epigenetics, which seeks to identify epigenetic changes that result from environmental exposures at critical times in life, and to link these phenomena to broader implications in human health and disease. The concept of epigenetics explains how environmental factors, including diet, exercise, and exposure to toxicants, can influence biological processes via gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation at cytosine residues, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) constitute the reversible epigenetic modifications that regulate gene expression. Dr. Perera is interested in studying PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), a class of small ncRNAs, as a potential biomarker for environmental exposures, and as a potential tool to edit the epigenome. She also aims to identify molecular mechanisms associated with toxicant exposures that contribute to human health. Since Dr. Perera’s expertise include mouse genetics, molecular biology, and RNA biology, she continues her research as part of the Environmental Epigenetics and Nutrition Lab, using the mouse as a model organism.