Dennis Desjardin

One of the world’s pre-eminent mycologists, Dennis retired in 2021 after 31 years as Professor of Mycology in the San Francisco State Department of Biology, and Director and Curator of the H.D. Thiers Herbarium. Supported by eight National Science Foundation grants, he’s conducted field studies across the globe, documenting fungal diversity and the ethnomycology of indigenous cultures. Dennis has published over 150 scientific papers, described 300+ new species of mushrooms, and co-authored two popular field guides.

He is an elected Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the Mycological Society of America. Dennis also serves as the Scientific Advisor to the Mycological Society of San Francisco, and as a consultant to US Poison Control Centers, hospitals, physicians, and veterinarians. He began his life’s work young: when he was just 3 years old he started collecting mushrooms with his grandparents.