Professor Alex Steel

Alex Steel is Director AI Strategy Education, and a Professor in the Law Faculty.

Alex is an internationally recognised legal academic with research interests in both criminal law and legal education. He has numerous teaching awards including a Commonwealth Government Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  He has extensive experience in senior leadership at university level across teaching and student support with focus on digital innovation.  He divides his time between the Law Faculty and the Division of Education and Student Experience.

Alex’s previous university positions include Acting Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Student Experience (2023-4); Director Teaching Strategy (2020-2023); Acting Pro Vice Chancellor Education (2019-2020), Law Associate Dean Academic (2014-16) and Law Associate Dean Education (2009-14). As UNSW Director Teaching Strategy he led a major strategic initiative to develop and implement a university wide digital assessment platform.  His current role leads UNSW's response to implications of generative AI for university education.

Alex is an inaugural member and former Director of the UNSW Scientia Education Academy. He has been a member of Academic Board since 2014. 

Alex has extensive experience in the development of law curriculum regulation as a member of Australian Law School Standards Committee; work for the Law Admissions Advisory Committee and the Council of Australian Law Deans; and as an Assessor for the NSW Legal Profession Admissions Board.  He is a member of the NSW Bar Association's Education Committee.  Alex has been an Executive member of the Australasian Legal Academics Association and is member of the Editorial Committee of the Legal Education Review.

His legal education publications range across the pedagogy and regulation of legal education, curriculum design, assessment practices and student wellbeing. He has particular interests in student assessment and learning strategies. In the criminal law field he has published widely on property and dishonesty and identity crimes.

Alex has also produced detailed law reform reports for Government and made submissions to law reform bodies. Alex has been a member of the Criminal Law Committee of the NSW Bar Association and an expert advisor to the NSW Law Reform Commission.  For a number of years he was a Policy Officer and then Consultant to the NSW Attorney General's Department, Criminal Law Review Division.