Prior to joining BGS, Darnelle served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Biden-Harris Administration. In this capacity, she managed special projects and employee engagement initiatives. She also completed internships at Jacob Solutions and the White House in the Office of Cabinet Affairs.
While a Research Assistant at the BioInspired Institute: Institute for Materials and Living Systems, she worked on antimicrobial testing of different types of phenolic acids crosslinked in hydrogels. Afterwards as a graduate student, she was a part of a COVID-19 working group that presented the effects COVID-19 had in Asia and Russia. Her work is driven by advancing equitable health outcomes and the nuanced ways in which emerging technologies, ethical considerations, and biosecurity can shape national security.
Darnelle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Syracuse University. Later, she graduated from Georgetown University with a Master of Science in Biomedical Science Policy and Advocacy concentrating in Bioethics and Global Health Security.