David Foster is Professor of Vision Systems at the University of Manchester and formerly Director of Research in the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He trained in physics and optics at Imperial College London and went on to hold personal chairs at several UK universities. He has served as a journal editor for over thirty years and is currently Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Vision Research. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Physiological Society, and the Optical Society of America. He has published about 200 research articles on vision and mathematical analysis.

He was awarded the Verriest Medal of the International Colour Vision Society in 2017 and the Newton Medal of the Colour Group (Great Britain) in 2018.

His book, A Concise Guide to Communication in Science & Engineering, was published by Oxford University Press in 2017.