Alex is a marine ecologist with expertise in the ecology of benthic marine ecosystems and their restoration, macro-micro interactions in the sea, the restorative aquaculture of seaweeds, and climate-mediated diseases of marine organisms.

Based at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Alex co-founded the UniSC Seaweed Research Group, whose goal is to address global social, environmental, and economic challenges with the restorative aquaculture of seaweeds.

Alex completed her PhD in Ecology at the University of New South Wales in 2012, and was named an Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) Young Tall Poppy that same year. Since then she has worked all over Australia and internationally, was a Churchill Fellow in 2014, and a Science and Technology Australia (STA) Superstar of STEM in 2021.