Career development and academic leadership are important to the University and are an essential aspect of our policy on professors. The policy also specifies the requirements for and the types of appointment.

Focus on academic leadership

Academic leadership is important because we need to ensure that academics perform well in their teaching and research. Professors at Leiden give leadership at the institutes in order to:

• ensure the quality of the teaching and research.
• ensure the teaching and research is well organised.
• meet the needs of academia and society for highly skilled academics.

Academic talent

Professors are also expected to have an international network, secure grants and help make the University attractive to prospective students and staff alike. The University is increasingly dependent on funding from NWO and the European Union. We need academic talent that will guarantee our success in such competitive funding mechanisms. If we are to attract, develop and retain talent, we need to be selective in our recruitment of academic staff and in the development of the academic career that follows. Find out how the University supports its professors in its Policy on Professorial Appointments.