An Evening with Paul Stamets

CIIS Public Programs presents renowned mycologist and medical researcher Paul Stamets for an illuminating talk on the history of psilocybin mushrooms exploring their past, present, and future uses. In this presentation, Paul takes you on a journey into the psilocybin mycosphere as he chronicles milestones that further substantiate that psilocybin, and more so psilocybin mushrooms, can help us evolve into the best of what we can be.

The collection and cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms, Paul argues, is central to our practices for freedom of consciousness. Paul shares how psilocybin mushrooms might fundamentally change the many challenges we face as a society. He believes we are at an evolutionary crossroads. Could psilocybin mushrooms help propel us as we emerge into a new version of ourselves, Homo sapiens 3.0?

Meet the Host

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Paul Stamets, D.Sc. (Honoris causa) is a speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher, and entrepreneur, who is considered an intellectual and industry leader in fungi. He is the founder and owner of Fungi Perfecti, LLC, and Host Defense Mushrooms supplement line. Paul Stamets is the author of eight books. His latest book, published in June 2025, is Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitats. He named numerous new species of psilocybin mushrooms. In 2023, a new psilocybin mushroom species was named after him to honor his lifelong work: Psilocybe stametsii. He is an invention ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was inducted into The Explorer’s Club in 2020. He has received numerous awards, including the National Mycologist Award (2013) from the North American Mycological Association (NAMA), the Gordon & Tina Wasson Award (2015) from the Mycological Society of America (MSA), The Disruptor Award from NextMed (2023), and the SynBioBeta Lifetime Achievement Award (2024). He was acknowledged at the United Nations as one of the 100 Disruptors for positive change. In the latest Star Trek: Discovery series on CBS, the science officer is portrayed by an astromycologist, Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, whose concepts became a central theme of this science fiction. He served as the primary guide to the mushroom documentary Fantastic Fungi, released in fall 2019 on Netflix achieving a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Important Event Information 

About Our Venue 

Formerly known as the Nourse Theater, The Sydney Goldstein Theater opened in 2013 after being closed for nearly 30 years. The theater first opened in 1926 as the auditorium for a high school, and following the school’s closure in 1952, found new life as a public performing arts venue, before closing in 1985. City Arts & Lectures founder Sydney Goldstein saw the theater in 2011 and foresaw a future for the space as the home for City Arts & Lectures; it now serves as an essential venue for City Arts & Lectures as well as for a wide variety of performances and programs. Learn more about the venue at City Arts & Lectures website. 

Accessibility 

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy 

Portions of this conversation will be recorded for our podcast. 

Refund Policy 

All tickets and donations for this event are nonrefundable.  

Related Academic Program

Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies