Dave joined NSSDC after a 6-year stint as a senior computer scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. While at the STScI, Dave was a lead designer of Starview, the distributed, X-window user interface of the Hubble Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution service. He also employed object-oriented methodologies to design the distributed data base, query processor, data dictionary, forms facility, and network services subsystems. In addition, Dave chaired the Space Telescope Advanced User Interface Working Group. Dave developed a revolutionary database storage technology for compressing very large scientific databases. He designed, coordinated, implemented, and documented the HS prototype distributed relational data base catalog, its multiplatform, portable, user-customizable user interface, its data security mechanisms, and its specialized operations software.
Dave received a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 1981, from which he also has a Bachelor's degree. He also has written many conference papers and contributed to numerous publications.