David Hamilton was born and educated in Yorkshire, attending the Regional College of Art in Bradford where he studied Painting & Pottery for the National Diploma in Design before going to Goldsmiths College, London to complete the 1 year Art Teacher’s Certificate course.

He taught Drawing and Colour and then Ceramics at Lancaster School of Art before moving to Portsmouth School of Art to develop the study of Ceramics within a Fine Art course. In 1974 David was appointed Head of Ceramics at the Royal college of Art in the School of Ceramics & Glass led by Professor David Lord Queensberry. He became Professor of Ceramics & Glass in 1984.

In the 1980s he undertook several public art commissions notably Parsons Polygon in Newcastle upon Tyne and Station Identity schemes at Paddington and Euston (Northern Line) underground stations for London Underground.

He has written widely on the art, craft, design and technology of ceramics for Crafts Magazine, Studio International, Thames & Hudson and Ceramic Review, and lectured in Canada, Finland, Japan and USA, as well as at art schools throughout the UK.

David was appointed Design Director of the Wedgwood Group in 1989 and continued at the RCA as a Visiting Professor until returning full time to the College in 1992. He was Head of the School of Applied Arts and Professor of Ceramics and Glass until his appointment as Pro Rector in 1996. Upon his retirement from the college in 2000 he was granted the title of Professor Emeritus and appointed a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Art.

He was appointed as the RCA member of the Sir Misha Black Awards Committee in 1988 and was Chairman from 1995 until he was succeeded by Mary Mullin in 2003.