Welcome to Episode 18 of Slightly Evolved! It's a slightly different format this week. Ilkka Hanski was Professor of Ecology at the University of Helsinki, but sadly died in May 2016. Ilkka made huge contributions to the fields of ecology, evolution, conservation and immunity, but will probably be remembered by many for his pioneering work in metapopulation biology. I was lucky to spend my first postdoc working with Ilkka in Helsinki which was a fantastic experience. In this episode I talk with three of his former colleagues, Prof Ilik Saccheri from the University of Liverpool, Prof Tomas Roslin from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and Dr Marjo Saastamoinen from the University of Helsinki, about their experiences working with Ilkka.We talk about some of their research, the research environment that Ilkka built in Helsinki (known as the Metapopulation Research Group or MRG) and how this experience has influenced their careers. In the episode I don't attempt to give a full overview of Ilkka's research interests or contributions but at least hope to give an insight into some experiences of what is was like to work with him and in his research group. You can read a good summary of his research interests and achievements here (https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v534/n7606/full/534180a.html), and find out more about the Metapopulation Research Group here (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/metapopulation-research-centre). You can also find one of my favourite videos of Ilkka talking about his research here on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVZvsbYJ80c).As always you can contact us via email ([email protected]), Twitter (twitter.com/slightlyevolpod) or join on our Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/664596143711550/). Remember you can also subscribe on iTunes (itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sligh…d1197890502?mt=2), and we would really appreciate it if you could leave a rating/comment there!