Dr Etienne Wenger
Doctor of Science

Etienne worked as a French teacher before beginning his academic career. He has a BSc Computer Science (University of Geneva, 1982), MSc Information and Computer Science (University of California at Irvine, 1984) and a PhD in Information and Computer Science (University of California at Irvine, 1990).

In 1987 he joined the Institute for Research on Learning as a research scientist where he developed his learning theory centred on the concept of communities of practice.

Since 1997 he has been an independent researcher, consultant, author and speaker. He helps organisations to develop their own communities and teaches a course on communities of practice online, as well as being a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader.

He has written books throughout his career. His first book in the 1980s was on artificial intelligence in education. He first used the term ‘communities of practice’ in a publication he co-authored, Situated Learning, in 1991. He went on to publish Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge in 2002, which led to a new line of research focusing on the social nature of learning.

From 2005 to date he has been an honorary professor at the University of Aalborg in Denmark. In 2007 he also took on the role of visiting professor in the School of Education at the University of Manchester.