Alexander joined the Innovation Studies Centre in July 2006. He studied at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Techniques Avancées (ENSTA), Paris, France. In January 2003 he received a Diploma in Economics and Business Engineering (Dipl. Wirtschaftsingenieur) from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. He wrote his Diploma thesis at the Fraunhofer Institute for System and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe, Germany, on the diffusion of new technologies in the health care sector. Pursuing his interest in the economics of technological change, Alexander engaged in a PhD project at the Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena, Germany in March 2003. He submitted his thesis, which analyses how demand dynamics influence industrial and corporate change, in May 2006. In August to November 2005 he visited the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA as a research fellow. Alexander received his doctorate in May 2007.

Alexander is currently working on the BP-sponsored project Urban Energy Systems. His project is based in Imperial College's Energy Futures Lab.