David Beach has conducted pioneering research on mechanisms of control of the cell division cycle. He has contributed toward an understanding of the role of protein kinases and their cyclin partners in regulating cell cycle progression, including DNA replication, cytokinesis and mitosis in yeast and mammalian cells. David discovered cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors that reveal a novel mechanism for controlling the cell division cycle. He has also made notable contributions toward an understanding of the molecular basis of abnormalities in the control of cell division in tumour cells, which have important clinical implications.