David is a drug discovery expert with extensive experience. He started his career in 1995 at Wellcome Research Laboratories and later worked at GlaxoWellcome and GlaxoSmithKline, where he developed drug testing systems and became Director for Screening & Compound Profiling in 2006. He also played a key role in identifying and prioritizing drug targets for respiratory diseases.

Since 2010, David has been Head of Biology at the University of Dundee's Drug Discovery Unit, where he develops strategies to support drug discovery programs. He has focused on identifying treatments for neglected tropical diseases and has helped establish five new companies and several pharma partnerships. In 2019, he was made a Professor of Translational Biology.

David serves on several advisory boards and review panels, including the UK government's Global AMR Innovation Fund and has been an expert for various research agencies and foundations. In 2021, he was awarded a British Empire Medal for his work in setting up a COVID diagnostic facility in Glasgow.