Fungi and Climate Project Lead

About the Company

The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Delaware, USA

21-50

<p>SPUN is a startup NGO with a mission to map and protect the mycorrhizal fungal networks that regulate Earth's climate and ecosystems. These fungi <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(23)00167-7.pdf"><strong>draw down approximately 13 billion tons of CO2 annually</strong></a> through extensive underground networks. Since our founding in 2021, we've built a global data platform to make these invisible networks measurable. Through our Underground Explorers program and network of over 400 Science Associates across more than 80 countries — with the majority in the Global South — we generate high-resolution biodiversity maps and ML-powered tools that integrate mycorrhizal data into climate, conservation, restoration, and land management decisions.</p><p>Our work spans from laboratory research, data science, and robotics to locally-led field applications, informing everything from carbon accounting methodologies to protected area design and restoration protocols. With strong backing from leading foundations and growing momentum in international policy circles, we're at an inflection point where strategic partnerships will be critical to driving the adoption of mycorrhizal data into climate strategies, conservation agendas, and restoration efforts worldwide.</p>