From that centre Phillips extended his operations to towns beyond the county, and by 1831 he included University College London within the sphere of his activity. During that year the British Association for the Advancement of Science was initiated at York, and Phillips was one of the people who organized it. He became the first assistant secretary during 1832, a job which he had until 1859. During 1834 he accepted the professorship of geology at King's College London, but retained his job at York.