studied agriculture at undergraduate level and obtained a PhD in dairy cattle nutrition and behaviour from the University of Glasgow in 1983. He then lectured in farm animal production and medicine at the Universities of Wales and Cambridge, conducting research into cattle and sheep welfare. In 2003 he became the inaugural holder of Australia's Chair in Animal Welfare, at the University of Queensland, and established the Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics. He was involved in the development and implementation of State and Federal government welfare policies and has published over 150 articles on animal welfare and management in scientific journals and 8 books, as well as editing a book series for Springer on the welfare of animals.
Prof. Phillips was the first professor in animal welfare in Australia, taking up the position at the University of Queensland in 2003. There he established a Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics in 2005 and devoted his time to developing animal welfare and ethics research and teaching. Prior to emigrating to Australia he lectured at the Universities of Cambridge (1995-2003) and Wales (1984-1995) in the United Kingdom.
His research is concerned with many different animals: livestock during ship transport, dogs and cats in shelters, racehorses and zoo animals and also with our ethical responsibilities towards animals. He is particularly interested in understanding and improving animal welfare in Asia and conducts regular workshops and research projects in China and nearby countries.
In 2010 he established the on-line journal Animals, which focuses on the welfare and ethics of animals and is now the top ranking journal in the field. He also edits a book series on Animal Welfare and Nutrition, published by Springer. In 2009 his book The Welfare of Animals: The Silent Majority was shortlisted for an Australian Museum Eureka prize. He has written and edited fourteen other books, mostly on livestock welfare, behaviour and production, and published over 300 articles in scientific journals. In 2012 he received the Australian Museum Eureka Award for Scientific Research that contributes to Animal Protection.
He currently chairs the Queensland Government's Animal Welfare Advisory Board and previously chaired the UK's Agriculture Ministry Bovine Tuberculosis husbandry review panel. He was the Independent Member of the UK's Milk Development Council and Member of the UK Government's Select Committee to review the zinc-cadmium sulphide dispersion tests conducted by the Ministry of Defence during the Cold War.
