John Seely Brown, PhD

Former Chief Scientist at Xerox and Co-chair of the Deloitte Center for the Edge

John Seely Brown is a prominent scholar, author, and speaker on topics related to organizational learning, technology, and innovation. He served as the Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation and the Director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) for nearly two decades. He holds 10 honorary degrees from three countries plus a Ph.d from the University of Michigan.

During his time at Xerox PARC, he oversaw research efforts that led to the development of many technologies that are now ubiquitous, such as laser printing and Ethernet. He is also known for his pioneering work on the concept of "communities of practice," which emphasizes the importance of informal learning and knowledge sharing within organizations.

Brown has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Amazon and the MacArthur Foundation. He served as Co-Chairman for Deloitte’s Center for the Edge where he pursued research on institutional innovation and a reimagined work environment built on digital culture, ubiquitous computing, and the need for constant learning and adaptability.

Currently, Dr. Brown serves as a visiting scholar and advisor to the Provost at the University of Southern California (USC) where he facilitates collaboration between the schools for Communication and Media and the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT).

His personal research interests include digital youth culture, digital media, and the application of technology to fundamentally rethink the nature of work and institutional architectures in order to enable deep learning across organizational boundaries.