David Ruelle earned his PhD in physics from the Free University of Brussels in 1959. His thesis on relativistic field theory was advised by Res Jost. He then spent two years at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, where he studied equilibrium statistical mechanics. From 1962-1964, he was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.

He has been a Professor at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques of Bures-sur-Yvette, France, since 1964, honorary since 2000. His work currently focuses on problems of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics related to dynamical systems theory, and a number of mathematical questions.