Paul Stamets
American mycologist (born 1955)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Edward Stamets (born July 17, 1955)[3] is an American mycologist and entrepreneur who sells various mushroom products through his company. He is an author and an advocate of medicinal fungi and mycoremediation.
Paul Stamets | |
|---|---|
Stamets holding Laricifomes officinalis in 2006 | |
| Born | July 17, 1955 Salem, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Mercersburg Academy |
| Alma mater | The Evergreen State College |
| Subject | Fungi[1][2] |
| Website | |
| paulstamets | |
Early and personal life
Stamets was born in Salem, Ohio.[4] He grew up in Columbiana, Ohio, with older and younger siblings.[5] He graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, with a bachelor's degree in 1979.[6] He worked as a logger.[6] As of 2013, Stamets was married to Carolyn "Dusty" Yao.[4] He has an honorary doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland.[7]
Mycological interest
Stamets credits his late brother, John, with stimulating his interest in mycology,[5] and studied mycology as an undergraduate student.[4] Having no academic training higher than a bachelor's degree, Stamets is largely self-taught in the field of mycology.[8][9]
Stamets received the 'Bioneers' Award from the Collective Heritage Institute in 1998 and the 'Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology' from the North American Mycological Association in 2013.[10] He also received an Invention Ambassador (2014–2015) award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).[11][12]
In popular culture
Stamets plays a significant part in the 2019 documentary film Fantastic Fungi, and edited the film's official companion book, Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact.[13]
The character Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets on the CBS series Star Trek: Discovery was named after the real Stamets. The fictional version is an astromycologist and engineer aboard the USS Discovery, and is credited with discovering how to navigate a mycelial network in space using a "spore drive".[14]
Books
- Psilocybe Mushrooms & Their Allies (1978), Homestead Book Company, ISBN 978-0-930180-03-4
- The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home (1983), Paul Stamets and J. S. Chilton, Agarikon Press, ISBN 9780961079802
- Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (1993; 3rd edition: 2000), Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-1-58008-175-7
- Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World (1996), Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-0-89815-839-7
- Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World (2005), Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-1-58008-579-3)
- Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness & Save the Planet (2019), Earth Aware Editions, ISBN 978-1-68383-704-6, 978-1683837046
- Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitats: A Guide to the History, Identification, and Use of Psychoactive Fungi (2025), Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-0593839003
