Alexander Bradshaw is a mycologist and evolutionary biologist with experience in microbiology, including work with bacterial and fungal specimens. He values biodiversity in all forms but has a strong passion for Fungi. In his professional career, he has developed skills and interests in museomics, genomics, systematics, conservation, DNA purification, ancient DNA analysis, phylogenetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biomechanics, and bioinspired materials. He also values a strong collaborative nature and believes that working with diverse people with many ideas helps foster scientific inspiration and facilitate the success of the mycological community. In this spirit, he has performed fieldwork worldwide, working with many friends and colleagues to further our understanding of Fungal diversity.

His past and current research has primarily focused on the systematics and evolution of the genus of "Magic mushrooms" Psilocybe, which produce psychoactive compounds with high therapeutic potential for treating myriad mental health issues. However, more broadly, Alexander is interested in exploring the complexity and evolution of fungal secondary metabolites, which humans have utilized throughout history for food, medicine, and in reclaiming polluted environments. Embracing the breadth of biological and chemical diversity that Fungi exhibit is paramount to understanding their role in nature, how they shape the environment around them, and how they influence the organisms they interact with. 

Another unexplored realm of mycology is the functional development of morphology, such as how a mushroom is produced. For his post-doctoral research, Alexander is working in the lab of Dr. David Hibbett and Dr. Javier Tabima, where he is studying the systematics, functional genetics, and population structures of the gilled, and sometimes secotioid, polypore mushroom, Lentinus tigrinus.