Email: [email protected]
Room: NW922

Phone: 0121 204 3297

Phil is Professor in Sociology and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Researcher Development (Dean of Graduate School and Early Career Researcher Development). Prior to this, Phil was Associate Dean Research in the College of Business and Social Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, after joining Aston in January 2014 from the University of Warwick where he taught social policy and sociology. Phil is also a member of the Sociology sub-panel for REF2021.

Phil’s research focuses on children and young people with a particular interest in child work and youth labour, the informal sector, political protest and qualitative research methodology. He has published three books, over 40 peer review journal and book chapters and his recent research projects include a British Academy funded project on children’s working lives in an urban informal settlement in Ghana; a European Community funded project examining young people’s political activism; and a large programme of research funded by ESRC exploring young people's precarious pathways from education into the labour market. 

In 2018, Phil was appointed to membership of the Sociology sub-panel for REF2021. Until recently he was also a member of the editorial board of Work, Employment and Society, and for two years its Deputy Chair. Phil is also currently a member of the Research Experts Forum of the Consortium of Street Children, a global alliance of NGOs supporting the rights and welfare of street children. 

Phil has taught at all levels from first year undergraduate modules through to advanced-level post-graduate research training. He has supervised 13 doctoral students through to completion and is currently supervising 4 research students investigating violence in informal migrant camps in South East Europe, street-based forms of harassment against women in Sri Lanka, the Prevent strategy and young people’s use of illegal drugs. Phil has also examined PhD research degrees at the universities of Aston, Warwick, Essex, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Sydney, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and the Open University.