Who we are

Toby Kiers is a Professor of Evolutionary Biology and University Research Chair at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her lab uses nanoprobes and high-resolution imaging to map the nutrient flows and architecture of plant-fungal networks. She is globally-recognized for her scientific work in the evolution of symbiotic trade, and her public outreach activities, including a 2019 Ted Talk. Kiers won an Ammodo Award in 2019 for “unfettered science,” and was awarded the E.O. Wilson Award for Natural History in 2021 and a Stairway to Impact Award from the Dutch Science Foundation in 2022. Kiers was named as one of the 22 Scientists playing a crucial role in expanding our understanding of biodiversity by the UN committee on biodiversity.

Jason is working with Toby and the board to create an organization and platform for scaling the impact of SPUN. Over two decades, Jason’s career has centered on building new mission-driven organizations that rewire legacy systems to benefit people and the natural world. He brings to this work his experience designing platforms for global enterprises, and advising startups and their investors from day zero through growth and venture scale exits. Recently, he co-founded btheory.ventures—a venture studio focused on incubating startups in the climate space.

Bethan began studying underground fungal networks during a PhD at the University of Cambridge examining Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and their genetic interactions with crop plants. She has since continued work on the genomics of symbiotic fungi as a PostDoctoral Researcher, and worked as a Senior Computer Biologist at the Sanger Institute, UK, on the Tree of Life Project that aims to sequence all eukaryotic species on Earth.

Michael Van Nuland is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist interested in the connections between plant and microbial biodiversity. He combines data science approaches with large-scale observations, controlled experiments, and molecular sequencing to explore how plant-microbe interactions shape species biogeography and broad ecological patterns. His work on the evolutionary dynamics and climate change responses in plant-microbe linkages received multiple awards from the National Science Foundation and from a variety of organizations dedicated to advancing soil ecology research.

Kelcie Walther is SPUN's communications lead. She earned her B.A. in environmental biology from Columbia University, and did her undergraduate thesis research with the Kennedy Lab at University of Minnesota on the ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with hazel and pine. Before coming to SPUN she wrote extensively about climate and environment for Columbia University's Climate School, and worked in science communications for the scientific publisher Cell Press. Kelcie is thrilled to be applying her love for science communication directly to protecting the world's fungal networks.

Daniela Soto Hernández is a social anthropologist, Master in Sociology, currently doing her Ph.D. in International Development in Global Studies, at the University of Sussex. Her research has focused on gender and labour force in Chile and currently looking at lithium extraction in the same country in the context of energy transition. She has worked in the School of Anthropology in the P. Universidad Católica de Chile, with indigenous communities on several projects with the Center for Indigenous and Intercultural Research (CIIR) and as a consultant for 12 years in diverse areas going from migration, social services, to entrepreneurship and gender in academia.

Adriana Corrales is a forest ecology with a joint position as an Assistant Professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá. Her research focuses on the ecology and taxonomy of tropical ectomycorrhizal associations, and shifts in fungal community composition caused by biotic and abiotic factors. Her work has demonstrated key interactions between soil biogeochemical cycling, forest function, and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical montane forests.

Justin has been researching microbes since 2014. Their research has taken them from rooftops and rainforest to better understand the biogeography of microbial symbiosis. During this time they have generated maps of where microbes are and why. Justin is currently working on their PhD in Evolution with Toby Kiers on the evolutionary ecology of underground networks. Their work has also extended into science communication with over 16K followers on their Twitter feed. Justin has the goals of mapping the underground for climate science and sustainability.

Bio coming soon!

SPUN's Project Manager, Research & Operations, Rachel Pringle, has a BSc. from the University of North Texas and an MSc. from Leiden University. Interested in mycological research and promoting interdisciplinary work, Rachel has carried out research with the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre using DNA metabarcoding to analyze grassland fungal diversity, and was part of a research group at the Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology, Den Bosch, studying mycelium-based biodesign. She is now the research manager at the Kiers Lab at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Oleh is a faculty member at the School of Biology, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine. He is a mycologist whose focus extends from fungal diversity to the spatial and temporal ecology of fungi, geoinformatics, remote sensing, vegetation mapping, and biodiversity informatics. He launched one of the most robust Ukrainian biodiversity data publication servers, which helps Ukrainian scientists in publishing open biodiversity data through GBIF. In 2019 he was recognized as Open Biodiversity Data Ambassador by GBIF. An author of numerous master classes, video tutorials, and blogposts helping Ukrainian researchers getting into spatial science and open biodiversity data.

David has been working with Toby since the early days of SPUN to define and scale the organisation. He collaborates closely with Toby and Jason on SPUN's ongoing strategy, with a focus on how technology can support science and natural systems. Outside of SPUN, he leads growth strategy for one of the world’s largest data and technology consultancies. He is co-founder of b-theory, a venture studio with a focus on incubating startups in the climate space.

As Lead Designer, Jordan oversees the visual design department at SPUN. In the past, he has led web, mobile, and product design projects for startups and global brands. He is also a design partner at b-theory, focusing on rapid concept design and product incubation.