Professor of Urban and Regional Economics, University of Manchester (UK) and the Chair in Urban and Regional Economics at the Alliance Manchester Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge and has previously held academic posts at the University of Reading, the University of Waikato (New Zealand), and the University of Groningen (Netherlands). 

He has received several awards for his research in different parts of the world: the 2002 Hewings Award from NARSC (North America); the 2007 Moss Madden Memorial Medal (UK and Ireland); the 2010 ERSA 50th Anniversary Award (Europe); the 2016 Best Paper in Regional Studies Award (International); the 2018 Best Paper in Regional Studies Award (International), the 2019 Martin Beckmann Award (International) and the 2019 ERSA European Prize in Regional Science (Europe). Philip has been a Special Adviser to two European Commissioners (Commissioner Johannes Hahn 2010- 2013 and Commissioner Corina Creţu 2015-2016), Chief Independent Economic Advisor on the EU Sixth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, an advisor or consultant to the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy at the European Commission, the OECD Paris, the European Investment Bank, as well as government ministries and research institutes in several countries.

Phil has served as a Co-Editor of Papers in Regional Science (2006-2013), Co-Editor of Spatial Economic Analysis (2006-), Co-Editor of Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, and Editor of the Edward Elgar Book Series New Horizons in Regional Science. (2004-). He has published over 300 papers and books and is one of the most cited regional economists globally. His work has received 27,382 citations.