Dr. Davies received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Pittsburgh, where he studied the use of the photoacoustic effect to probe photoinitiated reactions. He has since adapted these methods to develop and identify molecules that serve as effective biomedical imaging reporter molecules, and allow chemical sensing to occur in cloudy solutions and substances. As an analytical chemist, he is interested in a wide range of chemical measurement issues, and has developed training systems for Fortune 500 companies, harvested emplaced landmines in Cambodia and examined their composition and how they degrade in contact with soils, and published work in chemical education pertaining to better ways to train students and employees in performing chemical measurements.
In teaching, Dr. Davies uses "flipped classroom" and "active learning" strategies in his courses, and publishes research in these methodologies. He centers his teaching in the General and Analytical Chemistry components of the curriculum.