David was raised on a farm in Northern Ireland and gained both his first degree and PhD from Queen's University, Belfast. He also has a Diploma in Business Management Studies. His career in Agricultural Research led to his appointment as Director of the Poultry Research Centre, Edinburgh, now the Roslin Institute and then Chief Scientist at MAFF and DEFRA. From 1992 he was scientific adviser to the Perry Foundation and was appointed a member director of the Foundation in 2002.