His research is based on the development of near-infrared Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (DOS) systems to both predict and better understand tumor response and resistance to chemotherapy in cancer patients and in preclinical models. After receiving a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2004, Darren received his Ph.D. as a HHMI fellow in 2009 from the Bioengineering Department at Rice University where he studied under Professor Rebecca Richards-Kortum. Prior to starting his faculty position, Darren was a Department of Defense Postdoctoral Fellow at the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine studying under Professor Bruce Tromberg.