David read Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge from 1989-1992, before attaining a Master of Science degree in Computing and Archaeology at the University of Southampton in 1995. He completed his doctoral thesis entitled "The ebb and flow of an empire: the Ghurid polity of central Afghanistan in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries" at La Trobe University in 2011. He currently works as the Manager of Metropolitan Heritage Programs at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. His other research interests include the archaeo-politics of water and mud-brick architecture.

David has authored or contributed to nearly 50 book chapters and refereed papers, and was placed in the top 2% of researchers on Academia.edu by 30-day views in November 2015. He has given 18 public lectures and seminars around the world since 2006 and has recently been invited to give a lecture at the Center for Persian Studies and Art History at the University of California, Irvine, and to lead a workshop on identifying archaeological sites in Afghanistan in satellite images at the Oriental Institute in Chicago