Dave was born in Allentown, PA and pursued undergraduate education at Franklin and Marshall College. He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University with Prof. Tobias Ritter and pursued postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University with Prof. Daniel Nocera. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. His research program focuses on the chemistry of sustainably generated reactive intermediates in catalysis and has been recognized by an NSF CAREER award, a DOE Early Career Award, NIH MIRA, and a 2020 Sloan Fellowship. His efforts in the classroom have been recognized by Montague-Center for Teach Excellence and Association of Former Students College-Level Teaching Awards.