Paul Edward Stamets is an American mycologist and entrepreneur, widely recognized as the founder and owner of Fungi Perfecti, LLC, a company that sells various mushroom products. Although largely self-taught in the field of mycology, he holds a bachelor's degree from The Evergreen State College, which he earned in 1979. Stamets is a vocal advocate for the use of medicinal fungi and mycoremediation, emphasizing their potential to contribute to environmental solutions and species preservation.