Alex is an academic, researcher and designer. As Programme Director of Irish Design 2015, he was responsible for leading and managing this government backed initiative which sought to increase the awareness, understanding and use of design in Irish society and business. The initiative delivered an 11-fold return on investment, and a direct economic impact of over €55 Million. He was subsequently commissioned by the Design and Crafts Council, Ireland to develop Ireland the Design Island – Towards a National Design Strategy. Launched in 2017, this publication was the first Government-endorsed design strategy In Ireland since the iconic 1961 Scandinavian Report.

He has authored 8 books including Product Design (published by Laurence King, and translated into five languages), and managed National and European research projects worth in excess of €1 Million. His creative work has been exhibited at numerous international venues including MUDAC Lausanne, Designers Block Milan, IMMA and 100% Design London.

A former Head of Design & Applied Arts at Edinburgh College of Art, he has taught and managed at a diverse range of institutions - including the School of Textiles and Design at Heriot-Watt University, University of Dundee, Edinburgh Napier University, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design and the Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing - with his students winning dozens of international awards. He has been a visiting professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, Aston University and University College Dublin and recently completed a Visiting Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Alex is chair of Design Educators Ireland, the representative body of third level design education providers in Ireland. He is a member of the National Design Forum and the Government’s EGFSN Design Skills Implementation Group, and leads a number of sectoral projects including Collaboration between Industry & Enterprise, and Developing Career Pathways in Design. He is also a Fellow of the RSA and Institute of Designers in Ireland. Alex sees creative education as having the responsibility and power to build a platform for positive cultural, economic and social change.