Emil Müller

Emil Müller (5 March 1920 – 2 April 2008) was a Swiss mycologist. He specialised in the study of the systematics of the ascomycetes, particularly grass-inhabiting species. Müller significantly contributed to mycological taxonomy and published more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles during his career.

Early life and education

Müller was born on 5 March 1920 in Zürich, Switzerland. His passion for natural history guided him to study agricultural sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, where he graduated in 1944. Müller initially worked at the Plantahof Agricultural School in Landquart, where his fascination with fungi, particularly grass-inhabiting ascomycetes, began. Under the mentorship of mycologist Ernst Gäumann, Müller undertook taxonomic and ecological studies of the fungal genus Leptosphaeria, earning his doctorate in 1949. His dissertation, completed in under 18 months, was honoured with a silver medal from ETH Zürich.