David became interested in DNA as a child, when she explored the laws of Mendelian inheritance by breeding mice in fifth grade.
David moved to the University of Minnesota for graduate studies, where she investigated inhibitor binding to uteroferrin,[1] completing her doctorate in 1990 under the supervision of Lawrence Que Jr.[2] Next, David moved to California Institute of Technology as an National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow.
[citation needed] David worked as an assistant and associate professor in Santa Cruz and Utah before joining the University of California, Davis in 2006.
DNA is damaged by reactive oxygen species (e.g. the hydroxyl radical), and biological organisms have evolved various strategies for regeneration and repair.
David is interested in how MUTYH locates the appropriate damaged target amidst the naturally occurring healthy DNA, as this may have implications in cancer therapeutics and drug discovery.