Pärt Peterson is a Professor of Molecular Immunology at the University of Tartu, Estonia. He graduated in molecular biology at the University of Tartu and defended his PhD in molecular immunology in 1996 at the University of Tampere, Finland. He has been a Fellow of the Finnish Academy, The Wellcome Trust International Senior Fellow, and the Research Professor of the Academy of Estonia. Since 2008, he has been a Professor of Molecular Immunology at the University of Tartu, Estonia. His research interest has focused on the Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) gene, the key factor in central thymic tolerance and in avoiding autoimmunity. He co-discovered and made initial characterization of the DNA methyltransferase 3-like (DNMT3L) gene, a regulator of DNA methylation and epigenetic imprinting. He has studied the age-related changes in the immune system, and more recently, immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
