Jennifer Darnell
Jen has a B.A. in Chemistry from Bowdoin College and a Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University in New York City. She
recently retired from her position as a Research Associate Professor at Rockefeller where she worked for 33 years. She
is an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Jen is a leading authority on Fragile X Syndrome, the most
common monogenic cause of intellectual disability and autism. She is one of four Board members of the Simons Initiative
for the Developing Brain at the Univ. of Edinburgh. Jen has been coming annually to the Crested Butte area for 45 years
and is now a full-time resident. When one of her sons, Peter, was in high school, he assisted a RMBL scientist as a
research assistant. It was a transformative experience for both Jen and Peter. Jen brings to the Board the perspective of
a lab scientist who has been working at an independent research institution, a Crested Butte resident and former second
homeowner, and who has been involved in private science philanthropy.