Promotor: J. Zaanen

It has been a long-standing mystery how complex biological structures emerge from such seemingly uncoordinated building blocks as cells and tissues, in the presence of only minimal environmental guidance.

Mechanical forces are known to play an important role in bacterial colonies. In this dissertation, we study the self-organization at various stages of growing bacterial colonies, and focus on the mechanical effects of cell growth.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Hecke, Co-Promotor: Prof. dr. V. Vitelli

Promotor: H.W. Lenstra

Our research is done at two different locations.

We are interested in understanding the mechanics of soft materials, of which biological materials are prominent examples.

This thesis investigates how cell shape and collective behavior influence the dynamics and structure of biological tissues, which are crucial for understanding processes like embryonic development, tissue regeneration, and metastasis.

The key characteristic of active matter is the motion of an emergent collection (such as a flock of birds), which is driven by the consumption of energy by its active components (i.e. individual birds).

Promotor: Prof.dr. P. Stevenhagen, Co-Promotor: Dr. J.H. Evertse

On Tuesday 19 December 2017 Anneloes Kuiper-Slendebroek defended her doctoral thesis 'Rechter over Grenzen' which deals with the application and interpretation of international law in Dutch private law. Supervisor is Martijn Polak, co-supervisor is Jeroen van der Weide.

Promotor: S.J. Edixhoven

We study the interplay of topology and geometry with chirality for several passive and active systems, employing both analytical and numerical methods.

The overarching goal of this thesis is to set the foundations, but also make the first essential steps towards establishing a comprehensive, mesoscopic, hydrodynamic theory of epithelial tissues. The stage is set by an exhaustive study of topological defects in passive p-atic liquid crystals, singularities…

Promotor: S.J. Edixhoven Co-promotor: L. van Geemen, P. Parent

On 12 January 2022, Mirjam Franke defended the thesis 'Over de grens van de onrechtmatige daad'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. A.G. Castermans and Prof. J.H. Crijns.

Dit rapport maakt deel uit van het project Receptenboek burgerparticipatie in opdracht van de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) en met steun van het Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie.

How did the medieval manuscript develop as a physical object during the Twelfth Century Renaissance and what do these changes tell us about the intellectual culture of the period?

Leiden University, Department of Economics

In specialist organ literature a negative verdict is given on organs and organ specialists from the 1930’s. Did the same verdict apply to Johan van Meurs’ (1903-1986) work? Which role does Van Meurs’ collection of organ specifications play in the historical research on the organ?

Foute taal? Bestaat niet!

Luca Giomi has the first results of his ERC consolidator grant. He discovered that epithelial cells move collectively but in different ways, depending on the scale you look at. It is hexatic at small scales, and becomes nematic at larger scales: it is a multiscale order. This collective movement of…

Nematic liquid crystals form the key ingredients of most tv screens. The active version of these complex fluids forms a useful model for physicists to research the responses of active matter—like bacteria or traffic flows—to mechanical and geometrical cues. An international research team publishes their…

Op 22 september 2021 verschijnt de volgende publicatie van dr. Charlotte J.C. Broer: "Uitzicht op Oudwijk Bisschoppen, burggraven en het circa 1135 gestichte wereldlijke vrouwenstift in Oudwijk bij Utrecht in de twaalfde en dertiende eeuw". Voor meer informatie: http://www.broerendebruijn.nl/Oud…

Promotor: Prof.dr. K.H. Kuijken, Co-Promotor: Dr. H.Hoekstra

On the 12th of December, Ria Huijgen-Koolen successfully defended a doctoral thesis. Leiden University Centre for Linguistics congratulates Ria on this achievement!

In this thesis, I studied the origin and evolution of the non-thermal radiation in merging galaxy clusters.

The position of writing within the domain of artistic academic research is not self-evident. In academia, standard practice is to use writing for the transfer of knowledge: it is a means of communication. In the practice of (nonlinguistic) artistic research, the outcome is also often contextualized…

PhD defence

This project sets out to map, document and analyze instances of squatting in Leiden from 1970 to 1990, in order to set up an online Digital Archive of Squatting in Leiden. This archive will function as an online resource for academic research, as well as a starting point for public activities such as…

In de maanden maart, april en mei organiseerde het programma Transparantie in Informatie, van de ministeries van Economische Zaken en Klimaat (EZK) en Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV), gesprekken over de veranderopgave naar een Open Departement. De sessies hadden als doel om een eerlijk en…

De vraag is hoe groot de dreiging van het rechts-extremisme is in Nederland? Nikki Sterkenburg spreekt hierover in Trouw en RTL Nieuws.

From how litter spreads to which languages are spoken in Leiden and The Hague: over 50 interesting, surprising, complex and entertaining questions were sent in for the Citizen Science Project to mark our 444th anniversary.

Tiny self-propelling spheres, measuring only micrometers, move faster over a hydrophobic silicone surface than they do over hydrophilic glass. 'Almost nobody had realised that the substrate matters', says Stefania Ketzetzi, the researcher who discovered the effect, researched it and explained it. She…

Zou je graag een hoofdstuk uit je proefschrift in informele setting willen bespreken? Heb je een onderzoeksidee dat je graag zou voorleggen aan vakgenoten? Neem dan contact op met ozsmed@hum.leidenuniv.nl. De Onderzoekschool organiseert sinds kort een seminarreeks waarin dergelijke onderwerpen in een…

Universiteit Leiden en Unicef werken al 10 jaar samen om kennis over kinderrechten uit te breiden en te verspreiden. Ze verlengen deze samenwerking.

To tackle deepfakes, Denmark proposes expanding copyright law so everyone gets copyright over their own face and voice. There are similar ideas in the Netherlands with an online consultation. In Latvian newspaper ‘Latvijas Avīze’, Dirk Visser and Bart Custers discuss the proposals.

The role of transnational, non-institutional networks in the opening up of British transatlantic trade at the end of the 17th/beginning of the 18th century

In 2009-2010, the notion of a more ‘assertive’ China emerged in Western discourse, a viewpoint that China vehemently rejects. Nevertheless, especially after Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012, it is clear that China has abandoned its long-held foreign policy doctrine of ‘keeping a low profile.’

What did medieval scholars think of the books they read? In her inaugural lecture, Professor Mariken Teeuwen will talk about the texts they wrote in the margin.

How can we slow the progression of atherosclerosis? Researcher Amanda Foks believes the answer may be switching off ageing immune cells. This could lead to an entirely new treatment for heart attacks and strokes. She has been awarded an Established Investigator Dekker Grant by the Dutch Heart Founda…

Hoe kan het dat universele mensenrechten wereldwijd niet hetzelfde in de praktijk worden gebracht?

The formal handing over of the keys for the first stage of the Science Campus will take place on 23 February.

The year is 2032 and the Arctic ice cap has melted causing new trade routes to emerge. This case is the focal point of the Young Diplomat Conference during which honours participants spend a weekend as diplomats solving disputes between countries.

Statements made by Caroline van der Plas about nitrogen emissions and European law are incorrect: Armin Cuvyers on Dutch radio EenVandaag programme’s item ‘fact or fiction’.

A respectable 5,023 runners took part in the Leiden Canal Run on Friday 5 April. They raised the sum of €22,302 for various Leiden charities.

In Nieuwsuur ging Michael Klos, docent/onderzoeker bij de Universiteit Leiden, ging bij Nieuwsuur in op ‘de Twitterfiles’.

In 2009, the European Union adopted the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), mandating Member States to obtain 10% of all transport fuels from renewable sources by 2020.