Tom Davis uses polymer science, synthetic chemistry, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical science, protein biochemistry, and nanomedicine in his research on free radical polymerisation. His early work was at the cutting edge of free radical polymerisation kinetics, using lasers to measure the speed at which synthetic chain molecules grow. He also made major contributions to understanding mechanisms of free radical chain reactions. Davis applied his fundamental understanding to build responsive nanostructures for advanced lens manufacture and drug delivery. Most recently he invented a new polymerisation synthetic approach to make sequence controlled synthetic chains with a complexity approaching peptides, and he has designed polymeric nanostructures to mediate amyloid formation.