Daniel David is Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Minister of Education and Research. He is a Professor in Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences at the university and obtained his PhD at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (Department of Oncological Sciences – Bio-behavioural and integrative medicine Program) in 2001. He is also President/Director of the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health. His research is focused on the role of cognitive mechanisms, both explicit (e.g., autobiographical memory) and implicit (e.g., implicit memory; priming) in generating subjective/emotional, behavioral, and psycho-physiological human responses, more specifically, on the role of (a) rational/functional and irrational/dysfunctional beliefs and (b) response hopes and/or expectancies on various psychological and medical outcomes related to cancer and mental health.
David became a Professor at Babeș-Bolyai University in 2007. From 2016-2020 he was Vice-Rector for Research. He is one of the leading scientists in promoting evidence-based approach in clinical psychology/psychotherapy and technology-based clinical psychology/psychotherapy.
In Romania, he was the Personal Advisor of the Minister for Education and Research (2005/2016-2017). He used to be Vice-president of the Presidential Commission for Policies in Education and Research (2008-2014) and Vice-president of the National Research Council in Romania (2008-2012).
Internationally, David used to be Director for Research at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York. Currently, he is Adjunct Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.