Phil grew up in a small village in Germany. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science from Grinnell College. During his time at Grinnell, he conducted research in fungal ecology in the lab of Prof. Kathy Jacobson and held a summer REU fellowship in synthetic organic chemistry with Prof. Chris Douglas at the University of Minnesota.

In 2017, Phil began his graduate career with Prof. Scott Snyder at The University of Chicago, focusing on natural product total synthesis. Given his interest in the intersection of synthetic chemistry and biology, he then conducted a post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Prof. Alison Narayan at the University of Michigan, working in the field of organic synthesis and biocatalysis. In 2025, Phil joined Trinity College as an Assistant Professor. His lab focuses on using enzymes, nature’s catalysts, to expand the synthetic chemist’s tool box.