Tyler Prize 2026: Toby Kiers Honoured for Fungal Network Research
Why in the news
The 2026 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has gone to evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers, as reported on 14 January 2026. The award recognises her research on mycorrhizal fungi, the underground networks that link plant roots and store carbon.
Key facts
- Winner: Toby Kiers, an American evolutionary biologist based at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
- Prize money: USD 250,000 plus a medallion.
- Carbon link: her work indicates fungal networks sequester about 13 billion tonnes of CO2 a year, roughly one-third of yearly fossil fuel emissions.
- Underground Atlas: a global map of mycorrhizal fungal distribution that she co-led; it showed that many biodiverse fungal regions lack formal protection.
- SPUN: the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, which she co-founded to bring fungi into conservation policy.
| Year | Tyler Prize winner(s) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Toby Kiers |
| 2025 | Sandra Diaz and Eduardo Brondizio |
| 2024 | Johan Rockstrom |
| 2023 | Daniel Pauly and Ussif Rashid Sumaila |
About the Tyler Prize
Set up in 1973 by John and Alice Tyler, the prize honours achievement in environmental science, environmental health and energy. It is often called the Nobel of the environment. The University of Southern California administers it, and an international Executive Committee oversees the choice of laureates.
Exam angle
- Remember the Tyler Prize amount (USD 250,000), its founding year (1973) and the administering university (USC).
- Link the winner with her topic: mycorrhizal fungi and carbon sequestration.
- Know the two initiatives: Underground Atlas and SPUN.