Ali McKernan, also known as "the FUNgi Guy," is a passionate advocate for fungi, particularly focused on education and outreach. He is a primary school teacher in Manchester and a member of the North West Fungus Group. He uses social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for fungi, creating accessible "beginner's guides" and other content for a wide audience. 

Professor Katie J. Field is a leading expert in plant-soil processes at the University of Sheffield. Her research explores the intricate relationships between plants and soil-dwelling fungi, particularly mycorrhizal symbioses, which play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture and ecosystem health. With a career spanning institutions like the University of Leeds and collaborations with the Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Professor Field’s work delves into the evolution of plant-fungal partnerships over 500 million years, from ancient liverworts to modern crops

Dr. Peter Wellham is a scientist who studies the hidden world of fungi, insects, and how they interact with each other and their environments. His work helps us understand how these tiny organisms affect everything from plant health to ecosystems. By combining biology, chemistry, and ecology, Dr. Wellham explores how nature works at both the microscopic and global level. His research has been published in scientific journals and contributes to our understanding of the natural world in surprising and important ways.

Ben qualified from UCL Med School as a doctor in 1997. For over 20 years he has been involved in the neuroscientific and clinical research of psychedelic drugs. Ben is a trained MDMA, ketamine and psilocybin therapist. In 2021 he opened the UK's first psychedelic medical clinic. He has written many academic articles and popular books on psychedelics, and most recently published the 3rd Edition of his influential textbook, The Psychedelic Renaissance in September 2025. He lives and works in Bristol, UK.  

Website: www.drsessa.com

Marlow Renton is the founder of Wild Food UK and co-author of the best-selling Foraging Pocket Guide, Mushroom Foraging Guide and the Wild Food UK Forager’s Cookbook.  He has been teaching people about wild edible mushrooms for over 15 years with over 70,000 YouTube Subscribers and over 7 million views on YouTube alone.  His main passion is fungi of all sorts but particularly the edible kind!