Students wanted for research on great tits in a changing world

Would you like to contribute to long-term research on great tits in a changing world, involving plenty of hands-on fieldwork? Then this is your chance! We are looking for motivated students for the upcoming breeding season in spring 2027.

During this internship or graduation research project (at a university of applied sciences or a research university), you will contribute to our long-running research on cavity-nesting birds that breed in nest boxes. This research provides valuable long-term data that help us answer questions about climate change and behaviour. For example, how do great tits adjust the timing of their breeding season as seasons shift due to climate change? And to what extent can great tits adapt their behaviour in response to changes in their environment, such as urbanisation and climate change?

What will you do?

During the field season, which runs approximately from April through June, you will go into the field almost daily to monitor birds breeding in nest boxes, mainly great tits. Fieldwork takes place in one of our research areas, such as De Hoge Veluwe, Westerheide, Vlieland, or the Oosterhout Estate.

You will follow the breeding process of great tits from nest building through to the fledging of their chicks. In addition, adult birds and chicks will be ringed and measured, and blood samples will be collected for molecular and genetic research.

May is usually the busiest month of the breeding season. This means long days in the field, with work continuing on weekends and public holidays. It is therefore important that you are flexible and comfortable with working regularly at weekends during this period.

Outside the breeding season, there is room to conduct your own research under the supervision of one of our researchers. Possible topics include research using nest cameras and sensors, and/or working with the department’s extensive dataset, which now contains more than 70 years of data.

We offer a unique opportunity to gain experience working on a long-term research project, in a beautiful setting and with professional supervision. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer an internship allowance. We particularly welcome students enrolled at a university based in the Netherlands.

Please note: only apply if you are willing to work on weekends and public holidays during the breeding season.

Interested in this opportunity? Then send your CV and motivation letter to m.vandeventer@nioo.knaw.nl. We look forward to hearing from you!