Dr. Shiva Devkota

 Dr. Shiva Devkota is a Researcher/Mycologist at the Centre for Environmental and Social Applied Research (CESAR) in Pokhara, Nepal. He previously served as a Scientist at the Gandaki Province Academy of Science and Technology (GPAST), Ministry of Nepal. With over two decades of field-based experience in the Himalayas, he specializes in wild mushrooms, lichens, and caterpillar fungus, integrating ecological, social, and economic dimensions in his research. He holds an MSc in Botany and an MA in Anthropology from Tribhuvan University, and earned his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the University of Bern.

Dr. Devkota has authored more than three dozen peer-reviewed articles in mycology and has a strong track record in project development, grant acquisition, and collaborations with national and international institutions. In recognition of his contributions to Himalayan lichenology, a new species, “Lobaria devkotae”, was named in his honor by Chinese and Swiss researchers and published in the journal “Persoonia”. His current work at CESAR focuses on wild mushroom exploration, conservation, and public awareness around mushroom poisoning.