DavidAdlerGold.com

Dr. David Adler Gold is a geobiologist, combining genetics and the fossil record to study the relationship between Earth and life over long timescales. He has worked on problems as old as the origin of complex life, and as recent as the effects of global warming on marine invertebrates.

David got his PhD at UCLA working with Dr. David Jacobs. He then went on to do postdoctoral fellowships at MIT (with Dr. Roger Summons) and Caltech (with Dr. Lea Goentoro) before joining the faculty at UC Davis.

In addition to his research, Dr. Gold is also the manager of the UC Davis Fossil Collection and the Faculty Director of the UC Davis CalTeach/MAST Program, which trains STEM undergraduates to become K-12 teachers.

Chair of the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division of the Geological Society of America (2025-2026)
Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences (2025)
Sinai and Synapses Fellow (2024-2026)
Norman Newell Early Career Award, Paleontological Society (2018)
James E. and Charlotte Fedde Cordes Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology, California Institute of Technology (2018)
Agouron Geobiology Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014-2016)

Molecular Fossils: Organic chemistry and genetics unlock signatures from ancient Earth.

Biomineralization: How do animals build shells when the climate changes?

Jellyfish: Simple creatures hold clues to the origin of animals.

The Gold Lab is committed to diversifying the field of geoscience, and ensuring that high quality science education is available to all students. We do this in the lab through recruitment and outreach efforts. Dr. Gold is also the faculty director of the UC Davis Calteach/MAST program, which trains undergraduate STEM majors for careers in California K-12 teaching.

Dr. Gold is an advocate for the scientific method and empiricism. But he also recognizes that society shapes the way science is done, and that the natural sciences have historically been used to perpetuate racist ideologies. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Gold studies the relationship between science and other ways of knowing, including traditional ecological knowledge and improving dialogue between practitioners of science and religion.

Chris makes the winning T-shirt design for BioDiv Day
December 5, 2025
Congratulations to PhD candidate (and the lab’s artist-in-residence) Chris for winning the T-shirt design contest for this years UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. We all look forward to wearing his design at the big event February 21st.… Read More »
Dr. Gold quoted in The California Aggie
November 7, 2025
We have insects, birds, fish and even intelligent, bipedal mammals right here on Earth. But what could be beyond Earth? Check out Emilia Rose’s new article on 3I/ATLAS and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in the latest issue of our college newspaper The California Aggie.… Read More »
New paper on Dickinsonia featured in Letters & Science Magazine
September 8, 2025
How Did Animals Eat Before Mouths? A UC Davis Study Reexamines Molecular Fossils from Half a Billion Years Ago. You can read the article here.… Read More »
Dr. Gold elected Chair of the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division of the Geologic Society of America
September 5, 2025
Dr. Gold is thrilled to be rejoining the team at the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology (GBGM) Division of the Geologic Society of America. Having previously served as treasurer and secretary, Dr. Gold will now serve as Chair of the Division.… Read More »
Dr. Gold is elected as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences
August 28, 2025
Dr. Gold is honored to have been elected a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. The Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences are a group of distinguished scientists, nominated and appointed in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the natural sciences. You can learn more about them here.… Read More »