Dr Alexander gained his PhD from the University of Dundee in 2002 in the application of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to electrode surfaces and in the use of ab initio and density functional theory methods for the prediction of Raman spectra. He then spent nearly four years at the University of Geneva researching semiconductor electrodes for solar hydrogen production and developing characterisation strategies for nanomaterial thin films.

Following a post-doctoral position at the University of Aberdeen researching the photocatalytic degradation of wastewater pollutants, he joined the University of Greenwich as a lecturer in 2007, where he has been balancing teaching and research into areas at the interfaces between physical chemistry and inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science and geology. This interdisciplinary approach is perhaps best highlighted by the ongoing collaboration with Medway School of Pharmacy investigating the structural preference of peptide mimics and foldamers through use of circular dichroism spectroscopy and molecular dynamics.