Mid Argyll son becomes professor
Career goals vary from person to person but it is not everyone who becomes a professor by the age of 35, writes John McCallum.
That is the step on the ladder David Ellis, originally from Lochgilphead, has taken after becoming a professor in behaviour science at the University of Bath.
A former pupil at Lochgilphead High School, David is an alumnus of the University of Glasgow, where after five years of study, he achieved a first-class, MA (Master of Arts) degree in psychology in 2008 before becoming a master of science at Glasgow in 2009.
David went on to complete his PhD in philosophy in 2013, and then worked as a lecturer in psychology at the University of Lincoln for two years until 2015.
David is also a visiting fellow in psychology at Lincoln.
On his personal website, David’s biography describes him as: ‘A behavioural scientist who has established a reputation as a global leader in understanding how data and ubiquitous digital technologies are changing the way we conduct research and the way we live.
‘Working at the intersection of psychology and data science, his research has been published in world-leading psychology, medical, public health, computer science, and communication journals with results often re-appearing on radio and television.’
David’s parents, Sandra and Charlie Ellis, who still live in Lochgilphead, are understandably proud of their son’s academic achievements.
They said: ‘David is a hard worker and he has done us proud.
‘When he was a wee boy, about four years old, he wanted to be a doctor, and would walk around the street with a doctor’s bag wanting to be called “Doctor David”!
‘He can call himself a professor now.
‘When he was in P7 here in Lochgilphead, David was told by his teacher that they had “great expectations” for him. ‘They turned out to be right.’ David is also a published author, with his first book Smartphones Within Psychological Science, published in 2020 by globally renowned publisher Cambridge University Press.