Born in Wales, he was educated at Saint Catharine"s College, University of Cambridge where he graduated with a double first in Geography in 1966 (Master of Arts 1970). He went on to the University of Chicago where he gained an Master of Arts in Geography in 1968 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1973 under the supervision of Brian Berry.
He is currently Emeritus Professor of Population Geography at the University of Leeds. A prolific author of research papers and books on many aspects of human population problems, between 1992 and 2002 he was also co-ordinator of the Economic and Social Research Council/Jisc Census of Population Programme. Retiring from teaching in 2009, Philosophy"s contribution to geography was marked with a symposium celebrating the lasting international impact his work has had.
Although retired from teaching he remains extremely active in research.
