Empowering the Next Generation of African Scientists: EBCE Workshop Returns to The Gambia in 2026

Four individuals standing close together on a beach, dressed casually with hats and backpacks, smiling toward the camera with waves and a blue sky in the background. — Group pictures of the 2026 organizers. Left to right: Giacomo Costalunga, Mahalakshmi (Meera) Ramadas, Lisa Livancic, Carlos Gomez-Guzman

Group pictures of the 2026 organizers. Left to right: Giacomo Costalunga, Mahalakshmi (Meera) Ramadas, Lisa Livancic, Carlos Gomez-Guzman

In September 2026, our team of four PhD students from the Vallentin and Hoffmann labs at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence returned to Gunjur, The Gambia, for the second edition of the Experimental Bioacoustics & Communication Exchange (EBCE) Workshop, a milestone in our commitment to equitable, inclusive, and globally connected science. Supported by the Bridging Minds Max Planck Africa Initiative, this one-week intensive program brought together 12 undergraduate students from diverse study backgrounds from the University of The Gambia and five team members of the Kartong Bird Observatory for a transformative journey into the world of bioacoustics, field research, and scientific collaboration.

The Gambia, with its extraordinary avian diversity of over 600 recorded species, offers a unique natural laboratory. The EBCE Workshop was conceived not only as a training opportunity but as a deliberate effort to empower African scientists to lead research in their own ecosystems and shape the future of bioacoustics.

Outdoor scene of a diverse group engaged in a hands-on activity with wires and devices on a table, surrounded by greenery. — The team of the Kartong Bird Observatory demonstrates their work to the students. They show standard capture and handling procedures, including measurement, ringing, and release which are key skills for long-term monitoring of bird populations.

The team of the Kartong Bird Observatory demonstrates their work to the students. They show standard capture and handling procedures, including measurement, ringing, and release which are key skills for long-term monitoring of bird populations.

Our interdisciplinary team, comprising field and computational biologists, brought complementary expertise to different stages of the workshop. As the project progressed from identifying a research question, designing an experiment to conducting field recordings and bringing the collected data back to the bench for analysis, different members of our team guided students through each step of the journey. The first days focused on creating an environment that could kindle curiosity, generate research questions, and translate those questions into experimental designs. Giacomo and Lisa then guided students in recording techniques while sharing their enthusiasm for field research and data collection on the African continent. Later, Meera and Carlos introduced approaches for managing the collected data and analyzing it to extract meaningful insights. One of the most important lessons for all of us was that, alongside the broader scientific goals of the workshop, successful research also requires navigating the practical realities of technology: from managing laptops and updating operating systems to devising creative solutions for installing and troubleshooting software packages.

Participants in a workshop or training session focus on a presenter showing graphical data on a projector, with laptops open and engaged in a collaborative environment. — Data analysis session in the seminar room

Data analysis session in the seminar room

The broader goal of the workshop was to use bioacoustics to leverage building skills such as how to ask a scientific question, design an experiment and collect data to build evidence using data analysis. The participants recorded their own data using handheld audio recorders: birds in the garden or even the student’s own voices in different languages. These recordings were then cleaned, visualized, and analyzed. At the end of the week the small student groups presented their work to their peers.

A very memorable experience was a visit to the Kartong beach, where the team of the Kartong Bird Observatory showed their regular fieldwork with wild bird populations. From kingfishers to weaverbirds, each captured bird was ringed, measured, and assessed for health before release, contributing to long-term monitoring efforts.

Beyond technical training, the workshop was a space for community building, dialogue, and reflection. Evening discussions touched on topics ranging from career pathways, the challenges of academic infrastructure, to gender equity and community-centered conservation. These conversations underlined the student’s resilience, humor, and profound commitment to science and change.

For us as the organizing team this experience was equally transformative. We were reminded of the privileges we often take for granted: reliable internet, stable power, access to software and equipment. In The Gambia, students navigate these challenges with creativity and determination. What stayed with us most was that some of them were not only curious learners but real doers, with ambition and drive to create change, and already working toward it in their communities and fields. Their curiosity, energy, and warmth left an indelible mark on all of us. At the end of the workshop we all felt the same: “This was the best experience of our PhD journey so far.”

Large group of men and women in matching green sports jerseys standing on a paved area with trees above and a colorful mural behind. — Group picture after successful completion of the course.

Group picture after successful completion of the course.

The EBCE is more than a training course. It is a bridge between continents, disciplines, and generations. It is a commitment to decolonizing science, amplifying African voices, and fostering a new generation of scientists.

We are deeply grateful to the Max Planck Society, the Bridging Minds Initiative, our Principal Investigators Daniela Vallentin and Susanne Hoffmann, the Kartong Bird Observatory, and the students of The Gambia for making this possible. We hope that this journey will continue with a third edition next year. Because science is also about people. And in the Gambia, we found not only a field site, but a community.