Our People

Priyanka Baloni, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Toxicology

I am an Assistant Professor of Toxicology in the School of Health Sciences at Purdue University. My research focuses on understanding gene-environment interactions and identifying metabolic signatures associated with neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease. I use computational and systems biology approaches to integrate multi-omics data—including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics—with genome-scale metabolic models to uncover disease mechanisms and physiological disruptions.
Over the years, I’ve led computational efforts in several large, multidisciplinary projects funded by the NIH and other agencies, exploring metabolic alterations across a range of conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, pregnancy, and infectious diseases. I specialize in systems biology, machine learning, network analysis, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Currently, I’m contributing to the NIH Accelerating Medicines Partnership–Alzheimer’s Disease (AMP-AD) initiative, where I help identify therapeutic targets through integrative omics analysis.
As a co-investigator on grants from NIA, NIDDK, and NIEHS, I lead the development of machine learning models for blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability prediction, integrate PBPK outputs with genome-scale models, and guide downstream analysis of disrupted pathways relevant to neurological function. I also direct the interpretation of experimental data from in vitro and in vivo models and ensure alignment with computational predictions.
Mentorship is a core part of my academic mission. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring undergraduate and graduate students throughout my career, and I continue to support their scientific development. My work has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized through invited talks at national and international conferences. I’m also affiliated with Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF), the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience (PIIN), and the EMBRIO Institute. My long-term goal is to use systems-level approaches to study how environmental factors contribute to human health and disease.