Phil R. Cummins received his PhD in Geophysics form U. California Berkeley in 1988 and worked as a postdoctoral and research fellow at The Australian National University (ANU) until 1996, when he moved to the Japan Center for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

After leading a geodynamics research unit at JAMSTEC, in 2001 he took up a position leading earthquake and tsunami hazard research at Geoscience Australia (GA). In 2011, he accepted a joint appointment between GA and ANU as Professor of Natural Hazards, where he combines teaching and research in natural hazards at ANU with technical application of earthquake and tsunami science at GA.

In 2022 he was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal for outstanding scientific leadership in pioneering and leading research programs to reduce risk from earthquakes and tsunamis in Australia and the Asia-Pacific.