However, the contamination of many of Puerto Rico's ecosystems that resulted from the industrialization programs of Operation Bootstrap[1] instilled a passion in Perfecto for environmental sciences.

She taught biology for a year in Puerto Rico, but her desire to continue conducting research lead her to return to the University of Michigan where she earned a PhD in Ecology and Natural Resources in 1989.

It reflects her career as a scientist and efforts as an engaged activist to improve the livelihoods of Puerto Rican agriculturists through research and communication.

[10] Perfecto and co-contributors, John Vandermeer and Javier Lugo, were awarded a United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant in 2018 assessing the effects of Hurricane Maria on the resiliency of coffee farms in Puerto Rico.

[11] Perfecto and Vandermeer also developed a board game called "Azteca-Chess"[14] to improve coffee farmers' understanding of the ecological complexity of their farms.