David Phillips has been Deputy Scientist-in-Charge (DSIC) at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory since 2020. He served as acting Scientist-in-Charge in the interim period between Tina Neal and Ken Hon.
Prior to his post as DSIC, he was working out of Boulder, Colorado as a program manager for UNAVCO.
Throughout his career, he has been consulted by the press as a volcano expert, notably when he spoke to the Associated Press multiple times on behalf of the Observatory about the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa.