Internship - Marine mammal research in Spain

The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI), a research institution 
dedicated since 2005 to the understanding and conservation of marine mammals 
and the marine environment in which they live, is now accepting applications 
for its Internship Research Programme 2020. 

Our internship programme aims to prepare students for a professional career in 
the research of marine mammals, and conservation of the marine environment. 
This training experience provides the opportunity for highly motivated 
individuals to work with and learn from a multidisciplinary team of marine 
mammal scientists, including internationally renowned investigators. The BDRI 
also offers a limited number of independent studies to advanced undergraduate 
and graduate students (bachelor and master students). The position is located 
in O Grove (Galicia, NW Spain). The BDRI is a very international environment, 
and the everyday working language is English.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION - Internships are open to applicants 18 years of age or 
older. An academic background in biology, veterinary or natural science, 
coupled with motivation and interest in marine research make the most qualified 
individuals. Lasting between one and nine months, there’s a variety of research 
projects that will help you explore what you may want to do long term. With 
state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, participants will be trained to get 
involved with multiple research projects involving a combination of boat-based 
surveys onboard research vessels, land-based observations, laboratory work 
(photo-identification, GIS, bioacoustics, diet analysis, diving behaviour, 
video analysis, database work, etc), and strandings (response, rescue, 
necropsy, and data collection). 

The main research topics of the 2020 BDRI research season will include marine 
mammal ecology, social and feeding behaviour, ecological modelling, and 
bioacoustics (on cetaceans), as well as marine birds, sharks, and otters 
ecology. The incredible diversity of cetaceans present in Galician waters 
allows the BDRI team to have several ongoing research projects focused on the 
study of the ecology and behaviour of different species of cetaceans 
(bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, Risso’s dolphins, common dolphins, 
striped dolphins, pilot whales, humpback whales, minke whales, fin whales, and 
blue whales), marine birds, Eurasian otters, and sharks.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - Start and end dates are flexible depending on the 
needs of the institute and the intern’s availability, but the position requires 
a minimum of 30 days continuous commitment sometime between January 2020 
through to November 2020. BDRI internships are not paid and this training 
experience requires a tuition fee which is used to off-set the cost of 
training, use of research equipment, facilities and research vessels, shared 
accommodation, and other expenses. The fee reflects the real world costs and 
expenses that go into making the research program possible and the BDRI 
Internship Program worthwhile.

HOW TO APPLY - Interested candidates should submit an e-mail to 
i...@thebdri.com, and we will provide you further information about the 
program. Approved applications are accepted on a first-come, first serve basis. 
Positions are open until filled.

For more information and details, please visit: 
<https://www.thebdri.com/internships.html> 

A feedback from old participants at: <https://youtu.be/UAuO2XasBnw> 

Regular updates with photos and videos about our research at 
<https://www.facebook.com/thebdri/>

BDRI’s reputation for success rests solidly on its ability to carry out studies 
published in prestigious scientific journals. Scientific articles published by 
the BDRI team in 2019 (for a full list of publications please visit: 
<https://www.thebdri.com/papers.html>):

- Methion S, Diaz Lopez B (2019) Individual foraging variation drives social 
organization in bottlenose dolphins. Behavioral Ecology. 
doi:10.1093/beheco/arz160 
- Diaz Lopez B, Methion S (2019) Habitat drivers of endangered rorqual whales 
in a highly impacted upwelling region. Ecological Indicators 103, 610 – 616. 
- Methion B, Diaz Lopez B (2019) First record of atypical pigmentation pattern 
in fin whale Balaenoptera physalus in the Atlantic Ocean. Diseases of Aquatic 
Organisms, 135:121-­125. 
- Diaz Lopez B, Methion S, Giralt Paradell O (2019) Living on the edge: Overlap 
between a marine predator’s habitat use and fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic 
waters (NW Spain). Progress in Oceanography 175, 115 – 223. 
- Methion S, Diaz Lopez B (2019) Natural and anthropogenic drivers of foraging 
behaviour in bottlenose dolphins: influence of shellfish aquaculture. Aquatic 
Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 29(6), 927-937. 
- Giralt Paradell O, Diaz Lopez B, Methion S, (2019) Modelling common dolphin 
(Delphinus delphis) coastal distribution and habitat use: insights for 
conservation. Ocean and Coastal Management 179, 104836. 
- Diaz Lopez B (2019) "Hot deals at sea": responses of a top predator 
(Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus) to human-induced changes in the 
coastal ecosystem. Behavioural Ecology 2(3), 291-300.

See you in Spain!

Bruno Diaz Lopez Ph.D
Chief biologist and Director
The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI
Avenida Beiramar 192, O Grove 36980, Pontevedra, Spain
www.thebdri.com
0034 684248552

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