How do animals choose their partners? The answer is simple: it’s all about quality. While humans tend to wear clothes that happen to be in fashion, animals do nothing without a reason. Behind beautiful plumage or a deafening roar is only one message: I am in great shape. The evolutionary courtship displays…

PhD defence

Personal development

PhD defence

Katharina Riebel investigates causes and consequences of condition and learning dependent phenotypic variation in sexually selected traits and preference.

Organisation, Security

I'm a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at Leiden University investigating interkingdom signaling between beneficial bacteria and fungal plant pathogens. My research explores how bacterial lipopeptides influence fungal behavior in sugarcane smut disease, aiming to develop innovative biocontrol…

Historian Eric Storm of Leiden University discusses Donald Trump’s foreign policy in BBC Brasil.

Steffen Brünle investigates the structural details of GPCRs and is particularly interested in allosteric modulation, biased signaling, and drug discovery. He uses single-particle cryo-EM, as well as classical and time-resolved X-ray crystallography at synchrotrons and free electron lasers to unravel…

Erik Danen (Ph.D) is Professor of Cancer Drug Target Discovery at the Division of Drug Discovery & Safety.

Prof. Dr. Bob van de Water is head of the Cancer Therapeutics and Drug Safety group at the Division of Drug Discovery & Safety.

When you hear the alarm, it is important to know what is expected of you. Below you will find the general instructions for employees. Also, you will find instructions for teachers on how to lead their students outside.

Course

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

More and more people are experiencing work pressure due to digital means of communication. Media like e-mail and Signal (WhatsApp) ensure that we can be reached day and night, which can cause an increased sense of work pressure and always being 'on call'. In February 2023, the new digital communication…

I suggest a systematic study into the influence of non-singing female companions on vocal learning in young birds as a proof-of-principle study into how non-imitative learning processes from the social environment influence the timing and content of vocal learning and thus drive the interface between…

I am passionate about aquatic ecology, conservation and evolution, behavioural biology and global change. During my PhD, I am investigating the density and diversity of pelagic fish in and around offshore windfarms in the North Sea, more specifically related to the underwater acoustic conditions. This…

Dörner is interested in animal behaviour, neuroethology, ecology and anthropogenic effects on animal behaviour and species dynamics. The focus of her PhD is on the effects of light and noise pollution on migratory fish.

The Kovács lab concentrates on the growth and development of Bacilli during establishment of biofilms and interaction with rhizosphere microorganisms using a combination of molecular biology and eco-evolutionary approaches. We combine genome sequencing, genetic engineering, transcriptomics, and natural…

Kiki Spaninks is associated with the Plant Cluster as a teacher and researcher. Her teaching activities include several BSc courses in the field of Molecular Biotechnology. Her research is aimed at investigating the shoot-to-root signaling molecules during various aspects of plant development.

Vincent van Heuven passed away unexpectedly on Friday 6 February 2026 at the age of 76 at his home in Kûbaard (Friesland), the Netherlands.

The Development and Alumni Relations department offers a number of offline and online communication resources for alumni. Alumni are approached via the Leidraad magazine, the digital newsletter Alumni News and the alumni website. The University also manages a number of social media accounts especially…

If you need a mobile telephone or a mobile subscription or data-only subscription, can apply for it via the helpdesk portal. You can also contact the helpdesk portal if you need to change or cancel a mobile or data-only subscription.

Each month, we publish an article showcasing how social science research and education contribute to solving societal challenges. Researchers, lecturers, students, and societal partners work together to make knowledge accessible and to make a difference. Through open science and engaged education, we…

PhD defence

The new University Sports and Exam Centre is another step closer. Bigger sports and exam halls, plenty of room for meeting people, an open feel that integrates with the Campus Square and the sports fields, optimal acoustics and an uncompromisingly sustainable building with a green facade and solar panels.…

In the Mediacenter in Wijnhaven, podcasts can be recorded with user-friendly equipment and four microphones. In addition, we offer the option to record low-threshold videos in the same soundproofed space.

When we work from home, we are extra vulnerable for cyber attacks and data breaches. If you use a personal device to log on to the university network, please create a secure online workplace.

Facility, ICT

Work pressure is still high across the entire organisation. Leiden University is not unique in this respect, as all Dutch universities are facing high levels of work pressure. In an effort to reduce work pressure, we have launched a toolkit including practical measures at central, faculty, and individual…

Wat gebeurt er op het schoolplein? Sensoren op kleding openbaren pijnlijke patronen

Hans Slabbekoorn is specialised in animal sounds. On 1 July, he was appointed professor of Acoustic ecology and behaviour. A great honour, according to the new professor. ‘This job never gets boring, whether I am investigating the urban jungle or marine noise.’

Hans Slabbekoorn researches animal sounds and the effect of the noise we humans make on these animals. He is also committed to making his discipline more diverse.

A world-famous light experiment from 1801 has now been carried out with sound for the first time. Research by physicists in Leiden has produced new insights that could be applied in 5G devices and the emerging field of quantum acoustics.

'Engaging With Everyday Sounds' is a rich and inspiring exploration of the role of sounds in everyday life, including their impact on human actions, emotions, and imagination. Marcel Cobussen intertwines sonic studies with philosophy, sound art, sociology and more to create an impressively lucid and…

For the first time, a group of international and interdisciplinary researchers led by Karline Janmaat and her former MSc Student Chirag Chittar, have tested the several hypotheses on music simultaneously in a modern foraging society during their daily search for tubers – their staple food.

To facilitate the search for new antibiotics. That is the aim of Gilles van Wezel, professor molecular biotechnology at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL). He wants to do this by looking at similarities in the DNA of antibiotic-producing bacteria. Van Wezel has been awarded an ERC Advanced grant…

Synchronised heart rates and skin conductance tell us that people are attracted to each other. This explains why we feel a romantic ‘click’ with some people and not with others. This is the result of research by psychologist Eliska Prochazkova from the Leiden Institute for Brain and Recognition, which…

Dutch election signals a return to the political centre, with voters seeking practical solutions both at home and across Europe. Bernard Steunenberg, Professor of Public Administration, cautions that losses for the PVV, the party of Geert Wilders, do not mean the far right has been defeated.

Rector Magnificus Carel Stolker will retire on 8 February. If there’s one theme running through his career, it’s the links between the University and society. In this series of pre-retirement discussions, Stolker will talk one last time to people from within and without the University. In this first…

Learn how silence can benefit your well-being during Work Stress Week from 11 to 15 November. It’s no surprise that we sometimes need a bit of peace and quiet, says Professor of Auditory Culture Marcel Cobussen. ‘Our brain is exposed day and night to auditory stimuli.’

How do organs work in the body, and how can we create mini-organs to study diseases and test new medicines? That’s the idea behind organ-on-a-chip technology. During his PhD, Flavio Bonanini worked on developing the best possible mini-livers. ‘Make them as simple as possible, and as complex as neede…