He received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2005 and was subsequently a postdoctoral fellow at Illinois and Harvard University. David’s research investigates how global environmental change affects the structure and function of ecosystems. To conduct such studies he develops and applies a range of tools, most notably using stable isotopes, to track ecological changes in plant, animal, and microbial communities. He, along with his students and colleagues, has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier scientific journals.