Phil graduated in 1991 with a BS and 1993 with a MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky. From 1993-1995, he managed the Asphalt Binder Laboratory for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and was their Superpave Implementation Coordinator.

In 1995, Phil joined Koch Pavement Solutions as a Project Development Engineer for new highway technology. Then in 2007, he took on the role of Senior Research Engineer at Asphalt Institute.

In 2017, Phil founded Blankenship Asphalt Tech and Training (BATT) as a consulting engineering company that uses his agency, industry, and association combined experience. BATT lab is an asphalt testing laboratory with lab-to-pavement innovation and product commercialization.

He is a friend of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) committees, Past President of for the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT), Chair of ASTM Subcommittee D04.26 on Fundamental Mechanistic Testing and serves on ASTM D04 Exec Committee.

Phil is a longtime volunteer with Boy Scouts of America where he has also been a course director for their national leadership courses. He resides in Richmond KY with his wife, Greta, of 30 years.