Born in Montreal, Quebec, Stephen Downes lived and worked across Canada before joining the National Research Council as a senior researcher in November, 2001. Currently based in Moncton, New Brunswick, at the Institute for Information Technology's Internet Logic Research Group, Stephen has become a leading voice in the areas of learning objects and metadata, weblogs in education, content syndication, digital rights and related issues.

Stephen is perhaps best known for his daily research newsletter, OLDaily (short for Online Learning Daily), which reaches thousands of readers across Canada and around the world. His work also includes the development of educational content syndication systems such as Edu_RSS and DLORN along and the design of a digital rights management system for learning resources. Stephen is also frequently to be found the road giving seminars and lectures on the field of online learning, including the notable Buntine Oration delivered in Perth, Australia, in October, 2004.

Prior to his employment with the National Research Council Stephen worked as an information architect at the University of Alberta, hired under contract to design and build a one-stop knowledge, learning and resource portal for the province's municipal sector, MuniMall. While with the University of Alberta he also contributed his unique approach to information architecture to projects such as the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association (AMPIA) portal and to PEGGAsus, a learning and resource service for petroleum engineers, geologists and physists. Stephen also worked as an instructional and new media designer at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon, Manitoba, designing the College's website and launching some of the first online courses in the country.

Stephen's formal education is in philosophy; he obtained a BA and MA at the University of Calgary (1986,1987) and continued his studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. During his varied career as an undergraduate student, he served two terms as the editor of the University of Calgary student newspaper, the Gauntlet. In Edmonton, he distinguished himself as the president of the Graduate Students' Association for two terms, sitting on the university Board of Governors and Academic Council. Stephen also worked at Athabasca University as a distance instructor for seven years, and as the voice of that university's tutor community was a representative on Athabasca University's Governing Council. He also taught at the University of Alberta for a couple of years and Grande Prairie Regional College for one year.

After completing high school at Ottawa's School of Continuing Education while working as a concession stand worker and dishwasher, Stephen studied computing science for one year at Algonquin College while working as a telephone equipment installer and (later) as a security guard. He worked for a year as a computer operator for Texas Instruments in Calgary, then as a pot washer, 7-Eleven clerk, and development education programmer for the Arusha International Development Centre. Stephen has also been a newspaper carrier, waiter at a race track, hot dog vendor, building cleaner and camp counsellor.

Stephen lives in Moncton with his wife, Andrea, and two cats, Bart and Polly. He is 47.

Stephen reads a lot of science fiction and books in general. He enjoys movies, television and sports, especially hockey. He enjoys playing darts and NTN Trivia (though since Moncton has no NTN locations, it's a lot harder to play. He is an avid Civilization III player and an enthusiastic photographer.