Peter Mortimer Email & Phone Number

After spending 14 years investigating the fungi of the Mekong Region (China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, India), I moved back to South Africa, and started Applied Symbiotics. Applied Symbiotics is not only a company that enables landowners to grow mushrooms at large scales, but also a research driven company, exploring novel ways in which fungi can be used to address some of the challenges mankind is currently facing.My research interests range from fungal taxonomy and systematics through to the biogeography and ecosystem services provided by fungi. I have a keen interest in the ways the fungi can be of use to us, be that as a food, a source of novel compounds, or for the production of biomaterials. Myself and my team have documented hundreds of edible mushrooms species from the Mekong region, and, whenever possible, taken the time to learn from local communities who utilize mushrooms as a resource. We are constantly exploring new ways to grow fungi more efficiently and more sustainably and have developed a number of novel cultivation techniques, as well as having domesticated a range of new mushroom species.