Full Name
Stephen Russell
Research interests
botany , microbiology-molecular-biology , plant-systematics-biodiversity
Bio
Stephen Russell is the most prolific producer of DNA barcodes of macrofungal specimens worldwide. He is currently working on projects that will expedite a completed outline of North American macrofungal biodiversity. The focus is on organizational, workflow, and cost-basis improvements, as well as data integrations, citizen scientist engagement, and DNA sequencing of fungi in North America. His 501c3 laboratory, Mycota Lab, is currently nearing completion of a DNA-based outline of the macrofungi of Indiana. As the lead for The Hoosier Mushroom Society and Mycota Lab, he has DNA barcoded over 40,000 specimens for projects across North America (excluding Mycota Lab’s accessions, there are currently around 30,000 accessions of North American macrofungal collections in GenBank). Stephen holds undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Communications from Purdue University, as well as a Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) and a Masters of Environmental Science (MS) from Indiana University. He is also a PhD candidate in Computational Life Sciences at Purdue University. Stephen recently moved from Indiana to Michigan to serve as Director of the Biomedical Research Store at the University of Michigan.
