Paul Stamets | Celebrity Theatre

May 2024 · 3 minute read

Paul Stamets, D.Sc. (Honaris causa), speaker, author,  mycologist, medical researcher and entrepreneur, is  considered an intellectual and industry leader in fungi:  habitat, medicinal use, and production. He lectures  extensively to deepen the understanding and respect for the  organisms that literally exist under every footstep taken on  this path of life. His presentations cover a range of mushroom species and research showing how mushrooms  can help the health of people and planet. His central premise  is that habitats have immune systems, just like people, and  mushrooms are cellular bridges between the two. Our close  evolutionary relationship to fungi can be the basis for novel  pairings in the microbiome that lead to greater  sustainability and immune enhancement. 

Paul Stamets is the author of seven books, including Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save  The World, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, and Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World), he  has discovered and named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms, and is the founder and owner  of Fungi Perfecti, LLC, makers of the Host Defense Mushrooms (www.hostdefense.com) supplement line. 

He is an invention ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and  was inducted into The Explorer’s Club in 2020. He has received numerous awards, including the National  Mycologist Award (2013) from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA), the Gordon and Tina  Wasson Award (2015) from the Mycological Society of America (MSA), and The Disruptor Award from  NextMed (2023). He has named four new species of psilocybin mushrooms. In 2023, a new psilocybin  mushroom species was named after him to honor his lifelong work: Psilocybe stametsii.

He is a dedicated Earthling, Knowledge Keeper, and is a leader in protection of ecosystems focusing on  the roles of mycelium and mushrooms. Paul’s philosophy is that “MycoDiversity is BioSecurity.” Paul funds  research to save rare strains of mushrooms that dwell within the old growth forests. He sees the ancient  Old Growth forests of the Pacific Northwest as a resource of incalculable value, especially in terms of its  fungal genome. His culture collection consists of hundreds of mushroom strains, including nearly 100  strains of Agarikon sourced primarily from the old growth forests. He believes the old growth forests  contain a deep reservoir of species essential for pandemic defense. 

He is a collaborator with numerous scientific organizations and research institutes. His research is  considered breakthrough by thought leaders for creating a paradigm shift for helping ecosystems  worldwide. 

In addition, his work has entered the mainstream of popular culture: In the new Star Trek: Discovery series  on CBS, the science officer is portrayed by an astromycologist, Lt. Commander Paul Stamets whose  concepts became a central theme of this science fiction. His work with mycelium has become a central  theme of this series. He served as the primary guide to the mushroom documentary Fantastic Fungi, which  first appeared in theaters in fall 2019 and is currently on Netflix with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes

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