Bank of America Merrill Lynch has appointed Benjamin Perkins as managing director of life sciences investment banking.

He will be based in San Francisco and will report to Charles Ditkoff, managing director and head of Americas healthcare corporate and investment banking.

Perkins was recently served as a managing director and head of life sciences investment banking for Pacific Growth Equities in San Francisco, where he provided strategic advice and led a series of equity offerings for the biotech industry. Prior to that, he served as an associate at Advest Group.

Mr. Ditkoff, said: “Ben’s deep expertise in the biotech space will no doubt be pivotal in helping us continue to meet the evolving needs of our clients.”