David is a retired Reader from the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behaviour, University of Liverpool and is a Fellow of the Linnaean Society and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His expertiese is in aquatic ecology, focusing mainly but not exclusively on planktonic ciliates. Recently, he has revived his long-term passion for art, while still retaining an interest in ecology and the environment. His recent book "Where Are You From? An A to Z of our flora and fauna" represents a union of these two complementary aspects of his life (ISBN 979-8304214490).