David's academic journey began at University College Cork, Ireland, where he graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds (2010–2014, BSc, 1H1). He subsequently pursued a PhD in Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Cork under the supervision of Dr Tim O' Sullivan and Dr Eileen O'Leary (2014–2018, PhD). David then worked briefly as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Dr Gerard McGlacken (2019–2020) before moving to the University of Edinburgh as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Professor Andy Lawrence (2020–2024). David then secured a permanent Lectureship in Sustainable Organic Synthesis on returning to Cork — a position he has held since 2024. His independent research group was established in September 2024 with funding from Science Foundation Ireland (now Research Ireland). 

David is a member of a number of international funding review panels, including the EPSRC Peer Review College (UKRI) and has provided expert reviews for a number of publishing houses including the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society and the European Chemical Society.