Ranjula Wijayatunge is a molecular and cellular biologist with expertise in multiple fields of research, ranging from developmental biology to cancer genetics. She earned her BA in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT and her PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University, Durham, NC. During her graduate training with Dr. Anne West, she studied epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in the development and function of the mammalian nervous system. She joined UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX in 2014 as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the laboratory of Dr. Theo Ross in the department of Internal Medicine, and has worked as a Senior Research Scientist since 2019. Her research in Dr. Ross’s laboratory has explored the functions of tumor suppressor proteins such as BRCA1, TP53, and CREBBP in murine models and cell culture systems. She has developed professional skills as well as scientific skills; as Vice President of the Postdoctoral Association at UT Southwestern, she represented and advocated for the interests of the postdoctoral community to university administration, and as a graduate career counselor helped graduate students and postdoctoral fellows navigate career resources and choices. She has authored multiple research articles in high impact journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Cell Reports, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. She has assisted the principal investigator in manuscript review for prestigious publications such as the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI). She has generously volunteered many hours to CPI, where her scientific and creative skills have provided invaluable support for the Scientific and Administrative teams.