In 2019 Philip began his PhD research into transgender activism in conflict and transition. 

Tragically Philip’s dad Carl took his own life in July 2020, one week after Philip’s second year annual progress review for his PhD. 

Philip said: “This incredibly traumatic event led to me viewing my life as "before dad" and "after dad". It took me a long time to process the wealth of emotions that the loss of a parent through suicide brought with it. I continued to work on my PhD, albeit at a slower pace. I truly struck gold with my supervisors Professor Anna Bryson and Professor Kathryn McNeilly who were very supportive and encouraging during this time. 

"Naturally, there are many times where I considered giving up, particularly when I was seeing my cohort graduating and I was nowhere near completion. However, I persevered and was motivated by the fact that I had always dreamt of achieving a PhD.   

“Most importantly, I did not want to let my family down. I was the first person in my immediate family to attend university, let alone reach PhD level. I also knew that, despite my troubled and complex relationship with my father, he would not want me to give up and would have been incredibly proud of me.” 

In August 2023, Philip passed his PhD viva with no corrections and the four and a half year journey came to its conclusion. It was a moment that, at times, Philip had not expected to reach and this made it all the more special. 

Philip has advice for students who may also being going through a difficult time while studying: “A PhD is a significant amount of time in a person's life and life-changing events can occur. It’s important to know that but there is support available and students who encounter situations are not alone, even when the world feels darker than dark. I would encourage students to make the most of every opportunity available at Queen’s to support them through their studies. It is possible to complete your studies even when it feels impossible.” 

After studying for 10 years, Philip is currently taking a break from research, but he would like to pursue a career in research and teaching in the future.  

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