Brian Martin Spooner is an English mycologist who was head of mycology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.[1]
He was born in Rochford, Essex. in 1951. He obtained his first degree in 1972 from the University of London.[2] He joined the staff at the Herbarium, Kew in 1975 to undertake a study of ascomycetes under the guidance of Dr R W G Dennis, who had retired that year. He had a long term research project on the inoperculate Discomycetes of Australia.[3] He was promoted to Higher Scientific Officer in 1979 and awarded a Ph.D. from Reading University in 1985 for his thesis "Helotiales of Australasia".[4][5] He was appointed head of mycology in 1998.[6]
He is the author of several books and over 200 research papers.[7] His main research interest was with the discomycetes, but he also did research on other ascomycetous groups, as well as other British fungi. His work at Kew additionally included routine identifications and curation of the Ascomycetes Reference Collection. He was responsible for moving the mycology collection from the herbarium to the Jodrell Laboratory.[8]
He has participated in field expeditions and biodiversity projects in Malaysia and Australia.[8]
He regularly leads fungus forays for the British Mycological Society, on Box Hill,[9] and in Surrey.[10]
In 1990 he was honoured by a new genus named for him, Spooneromyces.[11]
He retired in 2011 after 36 years at Kew.[12]
He married Linda Strang in 1975 and lives in West Molesey.