David Sanderson trained as an architect and has worked for over 30 years across the World, engaging in development and disasters. After four years with a disaster management consultancy, he joined the NGO CARE International UK in 1998 as head of policy, specialising in urban issues, and was subsequently regional manager for Southern and West Africa, based in Johannesburg. In 2006, David became Director of a UK centre focusing on development and emergencies. Between 2013 and 2014, he was a full-time Visiting Professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. After 18 months as a Professor in Norway, he joined the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 2016 as the Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair of Architecture. He has served on the boards of CARE, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Humanitarian Innovation Fund.