Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and a writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Merlin is a keen brewer and fermenter, and is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. His first book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures was published in North America in May.