Mariana Villani

What can a 5,300-year-old mummy, bird nests, and hidden networks teach us about the world of fungi? Join Mariana Villani as she explores the fascinating relationships between people, animals and fungi, from the mushrooms carried by Ötzi the Iceman to her current research on mycelial cords and rhizomorphs. Discover how these remarkable fungal structures help connect ecosystems, interact with wildlife, and reveal new insights, bridging traditional knowledge with modern science. 

Mariana Villani is a researcher and educator specialising in ethnomycology, fungal ecology and evolution, agroecology, and traditional ecological knowledge. Since 2016, she has collaborated with Indigenous and traditional communities, contributed to the Fungi Foundation's Elders Project, and documented fungal diversity in Brazil's Atlantic Forest and Chapada Diamantina National Park. She holds a Master's in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she researches the ecology and evolution of mycelial cords and rhizomorphs.

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