Igor Siedlecki

Igor Siedlecki is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, specializing in mycology, ecology, and biodiversity monitoring. His research focuses on fungi associated with social insects, particularly red wood ants. Through the FunDive project, he develops resources to engage citizen scientists in fungal monitoring. As Data Manager at the Polish GBIF node, he supports open biodiversity data and promotes public engagement in nature conservation.

Breaking the Wall of Fungal Invisibility in Conservation:
Igor Siedlecki | Project: FunDive | Falling Walls Engage Finalist 2026

FunDive is a pan-European initiative using citizen science, AI, eDNA, and DNA-based identification to improve fungal biodiversity monitoring. By engaging volunteers across Europe, it generates high-quality, open-access data to map fungal distributions and support conservation. The project contributes to climate adaptation by improving ecological models, tracking biodiversity change, and building a long-term community for fungal monitoring and public engagement.