Avital Darmon was born in Jerusalem and lives in Kfar Adumim. She holds a doctorate in biology (1985) and a teaching certificate (1988) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2004 to 2017 she was the founding director of the Initiative for Applied Education Research, a unit of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The Initiative is responsible for the educational consulting services that the Academy provides to the Government of Israel and various authorities. Dr. Darmon was the founder and director (1994–1997) of the National Center for Biology Teachers in Israel. Between 1997 and 2001 she was the director of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership. Earlier in her career she taught at the Seligsberg High School and the High School Israel Arts and Sciences Academy (IASA) in Jerusalem. She also served on the Education Ministry’s subject and curriculum committees in biology and in science and technology, on committees that dealt with teacher-related issues, and on the public committee on the joint education system.