Phil Shackleton

Phil Shackleton is a Principal Industrial Fellow at the University of Huddersfield's Department of Engineering within the School of Computing and Engineering. He is affiliated with the Institute of Railway Research and actively supervises PhD students in railway-related research. His work focuses on railway materials wear, derailment prevention, and degradation mechanisms. Key research themes include wheel-rail interaction, polygonal wear, rail adhesion under environmental conditions, and predictive maintenance strategies.

Shackleton has contributed to projects like DYNAFREIGHT (2016–2018), addressing freight train dynamics and operational improvements. His expertise spans experimental and computational methods, including vibration analysis, lubrication effects, and fault diagnosis in railway systems. He frequently presents at conferences on topics such as axle bearing fault detection, wheel impact load data utilization, and wagon loading dynamics.

His research aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in infrastructure sustainability and safety. With an h-index of 34 and over 300 citations, his work emphasizes practical applications in railway safety and infrastructure resilience. He collaborates internationally, contributing to both academic and industry-driven solutions for rail transport challenges.