davis was a graduate student at bristol university, under the supervision of w. noel cottingham. she obtained her doctorate in 1975. following postdoctoral positions at durham university and imperial college, davis worked overseas at cern in geneva (where she became the first female theoretician) and at the institute for advanced study in princeton. since 1983 she has held positions at damtp, cambridge, and king's college, cambridge. from 2002–2013 she was professor of theoretical physics at damtp and from 2013–2018 she held the "professorship of mathematical physics (1967)". she has been a member of the general board and the council of the university of cambridge. in 2019 she won the institute of physics richard glazebrook medal and prize.