Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE)

The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) is a joint institute of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) created in 2008 in Barcelona. IBE researchers study the processes and mechanisms that generate biodiversity, and their research lines cover topics such as genetic and molecular evolution, population biology, complex systems biology, and the recovery of ancient DNA. The institute has over one hundred and twenty workers, spread between two neighboring buildings: the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) and the Mediterranean Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CMIMA).

https://www.ibe.upf-csic.es/
Excellence and recognition awards
  • Awarded 7 European Research Council (ERC) grants in the last 10 years
  • Over 150 new taxa described in the last 10 years
  • 5 ICREA Research Professors leading Research Groups in the IBE Community
  • Over 36 publications in high impact journals (Science, Nature, Cell) in the last 10 years
  • In 2019 joined the UCC+i Spanish network for Scientific Dissemination
Ranking positioning
  • Scimago ranking (http://www.scimagoir.com/) ranks IBE in the 8th position when it comes to Spanish governmental organizations.
  • IBE research has been highlighted among biggest scientific breakthroughs (Science Magazine breakthrough contest, 2019).
Director of the center

Salvador Carranza

  • BSc in Biology, University of Barcelona (UB) 1992; PhD in Genetics 1997 UB; Researcher Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London, 1998–2004.
  • 2004–2008 Ramon & Cajal Research Fellow, Biology Department, UB, Spain
  • 2008–2018 CSIC Permanent Researcher and Principal Investigator of the reptiles and amphibians lab at IBE. Promoted to Senior Researcher since 2018
  • 2016–present Associate Professor of Zoology, Human Biology Degree, Pompeu Fabra University
  • More than 160 scientific publications in SCI journals, Director of 18 national and international projects, 12 PhD and 23 MSc supervised, 31 new vertebrate species described.
Renowned researcher

Carles Lalueza-Fox

  • World's leading expert in paleogenomics -the retrieval and analysis of ancient genomes.
  • One of the few world's researchers to have retrieved Neandertal DNA, and a member of the Neandertal Genome Project (2010).
  • Obtained the first complete genome of a European hunter-gatherer, dated to 8,000 years ago.
  • Retrieved genes from extinct species, including Mammoths, the moas or the Carolina parakeet and wrote a book about "De-Extinction".
  • Published so far 21 papers in the two world's leading multidisciplinary science journals, Science and Nature.