Senior Research Fellow in Digital Economy

Phil is a senior researcher at the University of Exeter and Network Co-ordinator for DEAS. In this role, Phil will co-ordinate the links between academia and policy-making and take a lead role in developing the cases and taxonomy. His current research interests include the effect of developments in the digital economy on industries such as financial services and service productivity.

Currently a researcher on three EPSRC research grants. ACCEPT (Addressing Cyber Security and cybercrime via a co-Evolutionary Approach), DROPS (Dynamic Real-time On-Demand Personalisation for Scaling) and DEAS (Digitally Enhanced Advanced Services), Phil is also a researcher on an Innovate UK grant, AUTTO (Intelligent Micro-Automation), examining the automation of the legal services and providing a platform to improve efficiency. Phil was a Co-Investigator on the first EPSRC blockchain grant – “CREDIT” (Cryptocurrency Effects in Digital Transformations) investigating disruptive effects of distributed ledger technology.

Phil has advised on a number of government expert panels, and government departments and most notably as an advisor and a co-author on Sir Mark Walport’s Report Distributed Ledger Technology: Beyond blockchain. More recently Phil made significant contributions to the Go Science Blackett Report Service Transformed: Growth Opportunities for the UK Service Economy, the Lord Holmes report – Distributed Ledger Technology for Public Good: Leadership, collaboration and innovation; and with UKRI and Innovate UK on the development of the Next Generation Services programme

Phil has an M.A in economics from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Management from the University of Exeter. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has spent 30 years working and consulting at a senior level in Financial Services, including designing and building internet banks, financial analysis and project management.