David Farmer undertook his PhD at the University of Glasgow, focussing on pharmacological modulation of the pulmonary circulation in pulmonary hypertension. Since emigrating to Australia to engage in post-doctoral training at the University of Melbourne and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, he has engaged in electrophysiological studies of sympathetic nervous hierarchy, the origins of cardiac vagal tone, autonomic modulation of innate immune function, and the neurobiology of coughing. David is also an outspoken, and often very silly, advocate for science in the public arena, having contributed to both print and radio media and having performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He is currently a research fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University.