In memory of Alexander Greenberg
The following is an obituary from Dr Ira Lindsay, Head of Surrey Law School, honouring the life of Dr Alexander Greenberg, who died unexpectedly earlier this month.
It is with deep sadness that I announce the death of Dr Alexander Greenberg, Lecturer in Law, who passed away on 5 July 2026. Dr Greenberg joined Surrey in August 2025 and made an important contribution during his relatively brief time at the Law School. Dr Greenberg lectured in Tort Law, led tutorials in Criminal Law and Tort Law, organised extra-curricular support for students considering the Bar, and had recently taken on a role as staff adviser for the student mooting competition at Surrey Law School. His clarity, enthusiasm, and attentiveness to students stood out in the classroom. Dr Greenberg was one of the most active members of the Surrey Centre for Law and Philosophy in the past year, always ready with a well-considered question or constructive comment for visiting speakers and he played a key role in hosting Centre events efficiently and thoughtfully. In each of the last two weeks of his life Dr Greenberg helped organise workshops, including a Seminar on Mental Conditions and Criminal Responsibility, sponsored by the Society of Legal Scholars.
After graduating from University College London with a first-class degree in Philosophy and Ancient Greek, Dr Greenberg completed an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He taught philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, University of Southampton, and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. From 2019 to 2022 he held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at UCL for his project, Belief in Philosophy and the Criminal Law. Dr Greenberg subsequently served as Senior Teaching Fellow in philosophy at the University of Southampton and Stipendiary Lecturer in Law at Balliol College Oxford while concurrently pursuing a Graduate Diploma in Law, which he received from Oxford Brookes University in 2025.
Dr Greenberg’s research brought together criminal law, epistemology and philosophy of mind, drawing on philosophical work on mental concepts to illuminate criminal law doctrines and identify where reform is needed – especially at the opaque outer limits of the criminal law. He published widely in leading journals in both philosophy and law including Criminal Law and Philosophy, European Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy, Synthese, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, and Cambridge Law Journal. His work is cited in leading criminal law texts, such as Smith, Hogan, and Ormerod’s Criminal Law and Simester and Sullivan’s Criminal Law. Dr Greenberg’s 2024 article, ‘Could’ve Known Better’ in Philosophical Quarterly has been nominated for a prestigious prize in legal philosophy awarded by the American Philosophical Association. Earlier this year, Dr Greenberg placed his final article, ‘Consciousness and Cognitive Mens Rea’, in the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. He had an application for the Leverhulme Prize pending at the time of his death, and had been working on a monograph, co-authored with Prof. John Hyman (UCL), on responsibility in philosophy and law.
Beyond his scholarly achievements, Dr Greenberg was a kind and deeply conscientious colleague whose intellectual curiosity, intelligence, and enthusiasm enriched the life of Surrey Law School. He will be greatly missed by colleagues, students, and collaborators from across the UK and around the world.
Dr Greenberg is survived by his partner, Dr Lucy Campbell, by his parents, Dr David and Dr Celia Greenberg, and by his two older brothers, Chris and Richard Greenberg.