Dr Alexander Rhys, a University of Bath alumnus (Biochemistry, 2008-2012), has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours 2026 for services to healthcare and the LGBTQ+ community.

Dr Rhys completed his Master's degree in Biochemistry at Bath before serving as elected Education Officer in the Students' Union for a year. He went on to earn a PhD in Molecular Oncology from Queen Mary University of London's Barts Cancer Institute.

"I'm deeply honoured by this recognition," said Dr Rhys. "My time at Bath gave me both the scientific foundation and the leadership experience that shaped my career. Serving as Education Officer in the Students’ Union taught me how to advocate for others and work within complex organisations - skills that have been essential in everything I've done since."

He currently serves as CEO of two organisations: the Infection Prevention Society, a professional membership organisation with over 2,050 members working to reduce healthcare-associated infections, and It Gets Better UK, a charity he founded in 2017 that has reached over 2.5 million LGBTQ+ young people through crisis intervention and support programmes.

Dr Rhys's healthcare career includes leading the regulatory education arrangements that enabled the emergency deployment of 43,000 student nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic across all four UK nations. It Gets Better UK, which he founded as part of the global movement, has twice been named one of the top 10 charities of the year at the British LGBT Awards.

He also runs The Leadership Nook, an executive coaching practice focused on sustainable leadership and burnout prevention, and serves as a trustee of the Quaker Mental Health Fund.