David Banks, Ph.D.

David's passion and enthusiasm for teaching science and developing relationships with children and their families led him to his current position as an educator at Geffen Academy at UCLA where he teaches 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. He recently developed the curricula and outfitted a contemporary laboratory to teach a class that focuses on the molecular biology of DNA recombinant technologies, with an emphasis on the history of biotechnology in California.

Prior to his role as an educator, David has worked at NASA, the National Institutes of Health, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and UCLA, where he conducted laboratory research for over 15 years on host cellular defenses of bacterial toxins and viral pathogens. His research includes whole genome sequencing of the bacterial pathogen that causes strep throat, identification and characterization of mobile genetic elements that confer virulence on microorganisms, and a forward genetic screening system in mammalian cells that identified host regulators of HIV infection and disease. 

Although a native of Atlanta, Georgia, David has lived in Northern and Southern California for almost 20 years, including San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. He enjoys hiking, exploring new neighborhoods, reading, and cooking for his wife and 2 children. Every summer, David spends his summer vacation with his family at Lake Arrowhead, high in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California.

Peer reviewed publications:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16608555/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25297984/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16008584/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15272401/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18467145/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14673771/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17179935/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12419616/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12706629/