You have chosen to do a PhD track at the Faculty of Humanities. Doing a PhD's no small feat, what do you need to know when your start conducting research for a PhD?

Designing, improving, and innovating course plans and materials.

Didactic methods and techniques to bring your teaching into practice.

Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is one of the leading international research universities in Europe. The university has more than 32.000 students and 7.100 employees. Our motto is Praesidium Libertatis – Bastion of Freedom.

Are you planning to go abroad for work for more than one month? Do you have some ancillary activities abroad? Or are you planning to move abroad? If you are going abroad on behalf of Leiden University, it is important to make the necessary arrangements for working there.

If your research project involves collecting private or otherwise sensitive data, you must ensure adequate data protection measures are taken. Research must be conducted in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In terms of patient data, for instance, when used for research carried…

Higher-education institutions must be assessed and accredited once every six years to ensure they provide a high standard of education. You may be asked to speak to the assessment panel during the institutional audit.

If the University is involved in a crisis or calamity, a crisis management team will be formed. For small incidents, every building has its own Emergency Response Coordinator.

Didactics

Leiden University offers its staff an attractive package of benefits. Here you will find more information about the contents of the package and answers to practical questions such as: How to request vacation? Which costs can be reimbursed? When is the university closed?

When the PhD research has been completed and the dissertation is (nearly) finished, there are several more steps to take before you can defend it. For example, you must submit your manuscript and make preparations for the PhD defence ceremony.

The University’s finance organisation is based on the University’s organisational structure. This means that the faculties and units themselves are responsible for many matters. Finance Directorate is responsible for the coordination of the University administration.

An important question being asked, both in the academic world and in society, concerns the impact of our research and education.

If you’re inspired to introduce innovations or have plans to update a course or learning pathway, the tips and starting points given here may be helpful.

Starting a partnership and signing an exchange agreement is just the first step in facilitating student and staff mobility. Staff and student exchange at Leiden University is administered by international coordinators at faculty and central level.

The University has established an Environmental Policy Plan, which sets a number of ambitious goals to reduce its direct environmental impact and CO2 footprint and to raise staff awareness of sustainable and eco-friendly operations.

At Leiden University, we expect our researchers and lecturers to share our ambition to become one of the best. The commitment and quality of our supporting staff is crucial to achieving this. We therefore encourage our staff members to continue to develop their skills. This is the crux of our HR pol…

The Strategic Communication & Marketing (SCM) department and the Graphic Centre of the University Services Department (UFB) support the faculties and other organisational units with regards to printed materials and advertisements.

Personal development, Communication, Leadership

ICT, Organisation

The PhD track involves many different aspects. As well as important administrative steps that you have to take, for example, there are also introductory activities, a training programme and opportunities for research abroad.

Are you considering preparing a Kiem application? Learn from those who came before you! Here you find the recommendations and insights from colleagues who previously realised a Kiem project.

If you want to travel for work to an area with a security risk country or area with the color code orange and/or red, you need prior permission from the university.

Use this step-by-step guide when you want to (re)design your course, lecture or assignment. SEEDS is here to help you every step of the way.

The first FSW policy and SOPs for research subject to the WMO (Wet medisch-wetenschappelijk onderzoek met mensen) are currently in development.

DataKompas is our new tool for strategic and policy related information. It includes data from our educational and research activities, staff members, management, partnerships and the implementation of our strategic plan. These singular and numerical facts offer us a complete overview and a factual…

Leiden University has a wide range of buildings for teaching, research, and meeting. Here you will find practical information regarding access, layout, and usage of these locations, as well as answers to questions such as: How do I reserve a meeting room? Where can I report a defect? And what are the…

Slowly but surely Open Science is becoming a standard in scholarly research, making it more open, collaborative, transparent, and after all FAIR, from its planning stages to publishing and re-use of data.

Lecture, Food for Thought

Organisation

The University has national holidays and compulsory closures. National holidays are not deducted from your vacation hours, whereas compulsory closures are.

The first phase of creating a video starts without a camera or microphone. In the pre-production phase the learning goals and content of the video are developed and put into a clear storyline. A well thought through video-script is key for effective video making. And remember: do not underestimate the…

Create an inventory of all the people/roles (potentially) involved in the research project, including their roles and responsibilities (concerning the research data), as well as how they relate to the university.

Leiden University frequently reviews the quality of its research. We do this by means of both internal and external assessments. Read how we monitor and assess the quality of our research.

Here you can find more information about international cooperation.

Leiden University has a high rate of student success. The Leiden Study System was developed to help students study faster and more effectively. They receive the optimum support while choosing which programme to study and during their studies themselves.

The theme Sustainability is one of the five continuous developmental themes in the strategical plan Innovating and connecting – 2022 - 2027 of Leiden University. Making sustainability one of the hot topics.

The drastic cuts to higher education announced by the Schoof caretaker government will affect us all. Although not everything has been finalised, and elections for the Dutch House of Representatives will be held on 29 October 2025, we aim to keep you informed of all developments on this website as best…

One of the focal points of the teaching strategy at Leiden University is ensuring student success. Various initiatives have therefore been taken in this light ranging from the Leiden Study System to CROHO and from the Teachers’ Academy to teaching innovation.

Leiden University offers students access to the platform Gezonde Boel. The e-modules of Gezonde Boel are an easy way for students to work on their mental health.

Study information, Graduate School

For inspirational leadership as the basis for a safe and resilient work culture.

For a workplace where social safety is self-evident.

The Annual Report of Leiden University reports on its teaching, research, innovation, knowledge valorisation, infrastructure, staff and finances. It is the cornerstone of the planning and control process, and is a detailed financial statement on the policy that has been enacted.

In case of an adverse event, you may have to evacuate a building as quickly and calmly as possible. Emergency response coordinators will help you evacuate the building.