Alexis started his physics education at the University of Ottawa where he earned his bachelor's degree. After completing some computational work for his honors project, his desire to investigate the world with a more "hands on" approach brought him to pursue a Masters degree in experimental physics at McGill University in Montreal. During this time, Alexis became interested in the theory behind some strange behaviour of matter when it is cooled close to absolute zero. This lead him to the University of Calgary, where he completed his PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics.

Condensed matter physics

Alexis is primarily interested in probing the properties of ultracold Bose gases. Bosons are a class of particles, such as hydrogen and rubidium-87 atoms, that behave in very peculiar ways when they are cooled close to absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius). For example, under the right conditions, bosons clump together and form what is essentially one giant atom---one that is visible to the naked eye! In very specific circumstances, it is hoped that these Bose gases can act as a quantum computer, however this remains to be experimentally demonstrated. With the help of computer simulations, Alexis is attempting to guide experimentalists towards this goal.