Over the course of the 20th century, politicians increasingly came to rely on experts. Their language was peppered with terms like ‘policy pathways’ and ‘evaluation frameworks’. This made debates more abstract and less ideological.

Christoph Niessen is a researcher in comparative politics.

Hirad Rezaiejoo is a lecturer of Political Science and International Relations at the Institute of Political Science.

The gas prices now exceed 300 euros per megawatt hour – a record. The transition from fossil (natural gas, coal, oil) to renewable energy is needed and soon. But how do you get a society (and its citizens) to switch to sustainable energy?

Jaroslaw Kantorowicz is an assistant professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs and at the department of Economics (Institute of Tax Law and Economics).

Christina Toenshoff has been awarded the Virginia Walsh Dissertation Award for her PhD dissertation on corporate climate lobbying. The Leiden Political Scientist, according to the jury, ‘makes a significant contribution to the study of climate and business politics.’

Jonathan D. London is Associate Professor of Global Political Economy - Asia at the Leiden Institute of Area Studies. He has previously held positions at the City University of Hong Kong and Nanyang Technological University. London is a leading scholar of contemporary Vietnam. He holds a PhD in sociology…

Hundreds of millions of Chinese workers have moved from the countryside to the city. This social transformation has birthed a tradition of migrant worker poetry, professor Maghiel van Crevel states in Jacobin.

Soledad Valdivia Rivera is Assistant Professor at the Institute for History.

Graig Klein is assistant professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs. His research explores the instrumentality of political violence and how dissident-government interactions effect tactical and strategic evolution, conflict processes, and international & national security - primarily…

Anouk is a lecturer and a PhD candidate at the Institute of Political Science.

Constance Maly is a PhD candidate in European Studies at the Institute of Political Science.

Two researchers from the Institute of Political Science were recently awarded prizes. Claire Vergerio received the Francesco Guicciardini Prize for her book on the historical origins of the primacy of the state in international law ('best book in the historical international relations category'). In…

Che is a PhD candidate in Industrial Ecology at Leiden University, focusing on safe, sustainable, and circular design and decision support in the energy and healthcare sectors.

Inge started as a PhD researcher at CML as part of the WISE Horizons project in February 2023.

Prof. Dr. William Schabas has been a Professor of Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law at Leiden Law school since March 2012.

Carsten Stahn has been Professor of International Criminal Law and Global Justice at Leiden Law School since 2010.

Katrien Klep joined the Department of Child Law as an Assistant Professor in 2016 and as of 1 January 2026 Director of the Graduate School of Legal Studies.

Renfei Bai is a PhD candidate at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics.

Weishuo Li (Arthur) is a PhD candidate at Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University.

On Tuesday 30 September 2025, PhD candidate Kathleen Brown will defend her dissertation 'Deception, Risk, and Evasion: The Politics of Sovereign Debt in Emerging Markets' in Leiden’s Academy Building. Her research sheds light on the hidden world of sovereign debt politics, revealing how governments…

Aritri Dutta is an external PhD candidate of literature specializing in postcolonial fiction, with a focused interest in decolonizing epistemologies within literary criticism. Her research explores alternative frameworks for literary knowledge production, aiming to develop a

Tradition has it that at the end of each academic year, the best master’s thesis in Political Science is awarded a prize. For 2021-2022, the jury is considering six nominations. All of great quality, but on different topics. These range from political party bans to questions regarding commitment within…

The thesis is a major milestone for master students graduating in Political Science. It demonstrates their ability to conduct research independently and to provide a thorough, objective and sound analysis. That requires instruction, discussion, thinking and hard work. Lots of it. In some cases this…

Towards the graduation ceremonies, you sense an increasing nervousness. Not only because all the tradition and glamour surrounding the event, also because that will be the day that the winner of the Political Science master’s thesis award will be announced. For 2022-2023, the jury is considering seven…

As a Leiden University’s master’s student in Political Science you conduct independent research and report your findings to fellow academics and, who knows, to a larger audience. Your thesis is a showcase of your academic skills and personal interest, and perhaps even passion. Easier said than done,…

The nominees for the IRO Thesis Prize 2025 and the Prof. Dr. J.Th.J. van den Berg-prijs 2025. Who authored the best thesis in Leiden University’s bachelor’s programme in Political Science?

Bringing together chemists and physicists to thoroughly investigate how electrochemical processes work on the smallest scale. That is the goal of the new Advanced Nano-electrochemistry Institute of the Netherlands, or ANION for short. The consortium receives a Gravitation funding of 23.6 million euros…

Dario Fazzi is Professor of Transatlantic Environmental History at Leiden University and the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies in Middelburg, the Netherlands.

It is a full classroom: more than 30 pupils from 5 and 6 vwo are present to listen to political scientist Leila Demarest's lecture. She gives a brief introduction on the topic she is about to discuss: democracy in the global North and South. At first, the group seems a bit quiet, but when she asks questions…

Adina Akbik has been appointed as a new member of the Young Academy Leiden (YAL) as of 1 September 2024. Akbik is Senior Assistant Professor of European Politics at Leiden University. YAL serves as a platform for early career academics, and Akbik is keen to promote the needs and interests of young researchers…

Tim Meijers Education Director and a University Lecturer at the Institute for Philosophy.

Dimiter Toshkov, Associate Professor at Leiden University, told CGTN Europe that the Dutch election outcome reflects growing support for pragmatic and pro-European politics. He highlights D66’s focus on education, climate policy and European cooperation as key to its strong performance.

Adam Lichtenheld is an Assistant Professor of Peace Studies, Conflict Resolution, and International Relations at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs. He is an expert on forced displacement, armed conflict, political violence, peacebuilding, and post-conflict development, with a focus on Africa…

Diah Angendari is a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology. Her research focuses on the intersection of digital policies and communication.

Edmund Frettingham is Assistant Professor in International Relations at Leiden University College. His primary research interests lie in security studies and religion in international politics, with particular focus on theories of security, approaches to the study of religion in international politics,…

Alexandre Afonso's research focusses on the comparative political economy of European countries, and the relationship between welfare states, labour market institutions and immigration.