Digital behaviour
What our social media, language and spending patterns reveal about personality, preferences and wellbeing.
Professor of Computational Social Science · University of Cambridge
Understanding people through data.
I study what digital behaviour can reveal about human psychology, how we can evaluate rapidly developing AI capabilities, and what those capabilities mean for organisations and the future of work.
Cambridge Judge Business School
Academic Director, The Psychometrics Centre
AI evaluation · Psychometrics · Future of work
CambridgeProfessor & Psychometrics Centre leader
Global policyResearch cited by regulators worldwide
AI leadershipLeading four Cambridge executive programmes
Research
Where psychology meets computation.
My work uses large-scale behavioural data and psychometrics to understand people, evaluate human and artificial intelligence, and examine how new AI capabilities will reshape work.
AI evaluation
Using psychometric ideas to measure what AI systems can do, how their capabilities are developing and where current benchmarks fall short.
Future of work
Understanding how AI capabilities will change tasks, talent, leadership and the design of organisations.
Responsible personalisation
How organisations can use psychological insight to create more relevant experiences while retaining trust.
Selected impact
Research that travels beyond academia.
I work where rigorous behavioural science can change products, policy and public understanding.
Prediction & persuasion
Showing what digital traces can reveal
My research demonstrated that computers can judge personality as accurately as close acquaintances, and that psychologically tailored advertising can outperform generic messages.
Public policy
Informing debate on data and influence
I have presented to the European Parliament, the European Data Protection Supervisor, the Bank of England and UK regulators. My research has been cited by data-protection authorities around the world.
Applied work
Turning evidence into experiences
Projects include a Ubisoft interactive experience used by more than one million people, assessment systems that halved testing time, and collaborations with organisations including Amazon, Barclays, Hilton, RBS and Shell.
Public conversation
Making complex ideas accessible
My work has featured across the BBC, CNN, Sky News, the Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times and many other international outlets.
Executive education
AI leadership at Cambridge.
David leads four AI and analytics programmes at Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education.
For prospective students
Thinking about a PhD with me?
I welcome enquiries from prospective doctoral students interested in computational social science, psychometrics, AI evaluation and capabilities, the future of work, people analytics and related areas.
Before contacting me, please read the Psychometrics Centre’s guidance on the research master’s route to a PhD at Cambridge Judge Business School.
Read this before emailingWork with me
Bring evidence to the decisions that matter.
I collaborate selectively where behavioural science, psychometrics and AI can create meaningful value.
Keynotes & invited talks
Clear, research-led talks for executive audiences on AI capabilities, AI evaluation, the future of work, data, psychological targeting and trust—tailored to your context.
Discuss a speaking engagementConsultancy & collaboration
Advisory work, research collaborations and workshops spanning people analytics, psychometric assessment and responsible uses of behavioural data.
Start a conversationGet in touch