Alex is an interdisciplinary historian of modern warfare. His first book, Making Sense of the Great War: Crisis, Englishness, and Morale, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2024. His work has also appeared in War in History, The Historical Journal, and The English Historical Review. He is interested in the ways in which individuals navigate crises during times of conflict. As a global event, which took place at a time where literacy had expanded exponentially, the First World War provides an excellent case study of this. Up to now, his work has explored soldiers’ morale, their sensemaking and psychologies, as well as their relationship with society and the environment. His next project will investigate perceptions of history – and how history was mobilized – in the era of the Great War. Alex’s work has been showcased in The Times, at several public events and festivals, on many podcasts, and in 2023 he appeared as an expert on the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are.
Alex completed his doctorate at the LSE funded by an LSE PhD scholarship between 2014-2018 and an international scholarship prize from the Historial de la Grande Guerre, France. From 2018 to 2021, he worked as an LSE Fellow for LSE100, helping to redesign the programme entirely in 2020-21. Following this, he was a Learning Developer in LSE LIFE, and in 2022 he moved to the University of Birmingham as an Assistant Professor in the Social and Cultural History of the First World War. Here he convened (and helped to design) an innovative MA in First World War Studies, which was taught at the National Army Museum.
He is also a passionate educator and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has won or been nominated for several teaching awards. Alex is particularly interested in experiential learning opportunities so, in 2023-24, he successfully applied for money from the EDEN Centre to trial educational trips to the National Archives, Kew. Beyond the LSE, he is currently an external examiner on the MA (Distance Learning) in War Studies at King’s College London and has worked for numerous institutions as an educational consultant, aiding organisations in the development of courses on topics such as historical and academic skills, educational development, and sustainability. Recently, he has also worked with secondary educators at the PTI (formerly The Prince’s Trust) and on a Key Stage 2 project for BBC Bitesize, helping both to think about the teaching of the First World War in schools.
Other Titles: Departmental AI Lead.