Professor Alexander is a distinguished physical chemist whose contributions to science have been almost entirely in the field of colloid chemistry. His work in this field commenced when he was Deputy Director of the School of Colloid Science in the University of Cambridge and has continued during his tenure of office as Professor of Chemistry in the NSW University of Technology. Throughout this period he has produced a steady flow of publications which constitute a considerable addition to our knowledge in the fields of surface and colloid chemistry. In Australia he has taken an active part in the development of the work of the research associations concerned with bread and leather. He is the author of a number of books in his own field and his work has been marked by its excellence in scientific perception and quality and also by his interests in the industrial applications of such knowledge.