Dave completed his BSc (Hons) in 1997 at the University of Strathclyde, completing a final year project with Prof. W. Kerr concerning the N-oxide promoted desymmetrisation of cobalt carbonyl complexes.
 
He started PhD studies with Dr. J. Harrity at the University of Sheffield in 1999, where his studies concerned the development of a novel cobalt mediated rearrangement reaction.
 
Following Sheffield, he continued his southerly migration completing a years Post-Doctoral in 2003 work with Prof. T. Donohoe at the University of Oxford on the development of tandem ammonia free Birch reductions/ chiral protonation strategies for the synthesis of enantioenriched pyrrolines.
 
Dave's research activities continued at Imperial College, London between 2004-2005 with Prof A. Armstrong, working on developing organocatalytic aziridine syntheses.
 
Dave was appointed lecturer in organic chemistry at the University of Bath, December 2005, starting his independent research career in the area of organic synthesis. Areas of interest to Dave include organocatalysis, helicity, methodology and natural product synthesis.