David Balding is co-developer of the Balding–Nichols match probability formulae, which allow for population genetic effects in the evaluation of DNA profile evidence. He is also author of the likeLTD software for profiles obtained from low DNA template and/or degraded samples. He is co-proposer of the Balding–Nichols model for simulation of genetic data from structured populations and for likelihood-based inferences from structured population data. He is a pioneer of computational methods for inferring demographic history and detecting the effects of selection, and has made important contributions to methods for genetic association analyses.