Alex is a Professor Emeritus with the Political Science Department. He has published 23 books and over 95 refereed articles, and founded or co-founded 6 scholarly journals. He is the President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Sectoral Commission on Natural, Social and Human Sciences, and a past President of Academy II (Humanities and Social Sciences) of the Royal Society of Canada, and of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies. He has won several awards of distinction, including the:

• Gold Medal for Achievement in Research (2004) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (the Council’s highest honour);
• Award for the Betterment of the Human Condition (2003) from the International Society for Quality of Life Studies;
• Vincentian Ethics Scholar Award (2002) by the Vincentian Universities of the USA;
• Award for Extraordinary Contributions to Quality of Life Research (1996) from the International Society for Quality of Life Studies;
• Secretary of State’s Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research in Canadian Studies (1984);
• British Columbia Political Science Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2005);
• Honorary Doctor of Letters from Thompson Rivers University, B.C. (2005); and
• Deryck Thompson Award for Community Social Planning (2006) from the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C.