Our group is on a mission to uncover the secrets of evolution in the Spanish Pyrenees. Every summer, we trek through stunning mountain landscapes to collect thousands of flowering plants. As enthusiastic volunteers, you’ll play a vital role in our research, gathering samples and data that will help us understand speciation, plant ecology, and the fascinating process of evolution
Credits: Produced, shot, and edited by Celestine Adelmant & Leela Watts. Music: Obituary (by Alexandre Desplat).
Volunteer opportunity (2026) coming soon!
We will be recruiting volunteers to assist with fieldwork on plant speciation in the Spanish Pyrenees this coming summer 2026. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to obtain experience in fieldwork related to evolutionary biology, speciation and plant ecology.
The call for volunteers will open soon (February–March 2026).
Stay tuned for more details and application instructions!
The project: We study evolutionary dynamics and speciation in snapdragons. The study has been running since 2009 and involves fieldwork on natural hybrid zones between two subspecies with different coloured flowers. The goal is to understand how different evolutionary forces — like natural selection, migration, etc— have shaped this diversity.
The fieldwork: involves working in teams to map locations of individual plants (GPS) (the plants are primarily found on the roadsides), tag and sample them for leaves and flowers, measure traits, and process material for later DNA extraction. There may be opportunities to be involved in other projects focusing on seed banks. The work is outdoors as well as indoors – about one-third of the time will be spent indoors curating leaf samples and organizing/maintaining sampling equipment. The work is highly team orientated, typically in groups of 2-3 in the field and larger groups processing samples back at the research station. Since we aim to sample all living individuals in the hybrid zone during the flowering season, the daily workload can vary significantly. At peak season, we are often very busy and our daily routines change accordingly.
The location: is near Planoles in a beautiful part of the Pyrenees in North Eastern Spain (Catalonia). We stay in comfortable apartments overlooking a picturesque valley, with close access to hiking trails and small villages.
The ideal applicant: is an enthusiastic, hardworking biology student with strong interest in working outdoors. You must be meticulous with recording data and also be comfortable working as part of a team. Experience with field-based projects and plants is helpful but not essential. Climbing experience is useful as a small amount of work is conducted on ropes.
