George Siemens is an educator and researcher on learning, technology, networks, analytics, and openness in education. He is the author of Knowing Knowledge , an exploration of how the context and characteristics of knowledge have changed and what it means to organizations today, and the Handbook of Emerging Technologies for Learning . Knowing Knowledge has been translated into Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, Persian, and Hungarian. Dr. Siemens is the Associate Director of the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute at Athabasca University, leading the learning analytics research team.

He has delivered keynote addresses in more than 30 countries on the influence of technology and media on education, organizations, and society. His work has been profiled in provincial, national, and international newspapers (including NY Times), radio, and television. His research has received numerous national and international awards, including an honorary doctorate from Universidad de San Martin de Porres for his pioneering work in learning, technology, and networks.

Dr. Siemens is a founding member of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (http://www.solaresearch.org/). He has served as a member of the Steering Committee for AACE's ED-MEDIA conference since 2008. He is on the editorial board of numerous journals, including MERLOT's JOLT and JIME. He pioneered massive open online courses (sometimes referred to as MOOCs) that have included almost 20,000 participants.