The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) is dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that generate biodiversity and the genetic basis of evolution. Our work is helping to unravel how evolution works and to translate discoveries into new ways to conserve biodiversity.

Founded in 2008, the IBE is a unique partnership between the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). It brings together more than 120 people and 25 research groups distributed in 5 scientific programs on Evolutionary Biology research.

Our personnel is distributed in several professional profiles, mainly principal investigators, postdoctoral and predoctoral researchers, support personnel and administration. However, their gender distribution is unequal.

This is reflected at IBE, for instance, in the increasing gap between the percentage of women and men with seniority in their academic career (Figure 1). In 2023, there were only 5 women out of a total of 25 principal investigators (PIs) at IBE, representing 20% of the total. This has continued to be a sustained trend at IBE for at least the past 10 years.

Figure 1. Percentage of women and men in each career position at IBE in 2023.

This figure reflects only the most obvious imbalances in diversity at IBE. Biases at IBE in all aspects of diversity must also be quantified and addressed. In order to reach these goals, we have created a diversity plan and the entire IBE community has the responsibility to ensure that we actively work together towards its application.