Paul Stamets


Paul Edward Stamets is an American mycologist and entrepreneur who sells various mushroom products through his company. He is an author and advocate of medicinal fungi and mycoremediation.

Personal life

Stamets was born in Salem, Ohio. He grew up in Columbiana, Ohio with an older brother, John, his twin brother North, and younger siblings. He graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington with a bachelor's degree in 1979. Stamets is married to Carolyn "Dusty" Yao. He has two children from a previous marriage, one of whom is named after a hallucinogenic mushroom.

Mycological interest

Stamets credits his late brother, John, with stimulating his interest in mycology, and studied mycology as an undergraduate student. Having no academic training higher than a bachelor's degree, Stamets began his career in the forest as a logger, and is largely self-taught in the field of mycology.
Paul Stamets received an Invention Ambassador award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In popular culture

The character Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets on the CBS series was named after the real Stamets. The fictional version is an astromycologist and the chief engineer of the USS Discovery, and is credited with discovering a mycelial network that powers an advanced spore drive. Stamets plays a significant part in the 2019 documentary film Fantastic Fungi.

Books