The creation of the new category of IMA Fellows was announced in IMA Fungus 4(2): (40) (December 2013), along with protocols for nomination and election.
Fellows shall be mycologists who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of mycology at an international level, through service to the IMA, its Regional Committees, organization of international meetings, or otherwise as the Award Committees deem appropriate.
IMA President John Taylor announced the election of nine founding Fellows by the IMA Executive Committee in order to launch the category, and stressed that this election recognizes both their research excellence and service to global mycology.
- Mary L. Berbee
- Meredith Blackwell
- Sharon A. Cantrell Rodríguez
- Anthony J.F. Griffiths
- Nils Hallenberg
- Karen Hansen
- David L. Hawksworth
- I. Brent Heath
- Lene Lange
- Jennifer Luangsa-ard
- John I. Pitt
- Nick D. Read
- Leif Ryvarden
- Gioconda San-Blas
- Trond Schumacher
- Chiryathumadom V. Subramanian
- Junta Sugiyama
- John W. Taylor
- Michael J. Wingfield