Phillip’s scholarly interests lie in solid-state high-pressure physics, more specifically, the electronic band structure of semiconductors under pressure. Simply put, he squeezes crystals (e.g. table salt) so they become uniformly smaller and observe/measure how their optical properties change. He is also interested in the magnetic properties of thin crystal surfaces and collaborates with the Center for Magnetism and Magnetic Nanostructures (CMMNS) since Fall 2013. He published an introductory textbook on electricity and magnetism titled “An Unconventional Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd Ed.” (2014).