Light, open and green: a description that fits the new, renovated location of the Faculty of Humanities. The official opening of the Herta Mohr Building took place on 8 October, and it has many remarkable features: for example, recycled ‘mushroom columns’, a pedestrian bridge to the University Library…

You have prepared a research project, put together a plan, and you are ready to travel to the country where you will be conducting your fieldwork. What do you do when Covid suddenly makes that impossible? Nadia Sonneveld was forced to relocate her project Living on the Other Side to a hybrid form: ‘It…

The Capacity to Innovate is a recently published book by Sarah Giest, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Administration. In this article Sarah gives insight in the main findings of the book and the experience developing it.

Read the latest column from the Faculty Board here, with an update on the faculty's current situation and our next steps.

Nathaniel Martin, Professor of Biological chemistry, wondered what would happen if you take an antibiotic that has been known for 70 years and try to improve it with the latest tools of modern chemistry. Turns out it can become up to a hundred times more potent and prevent the growth of some drug-resistant…

The jury of the Africa Thesis Award is delighted to announce that the 2024 prize has been awarded to Baleseng Maeneche, a graduate of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at the University of the Western Cape, for her thesis 'Media Representations of Male Perpetrators of Violence against Women and Children:…

Jasper Knoester is the dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do and what does his day look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life.

It is sufficiently plausible that, during her employment, a professor of archaeology at Leiden University was guilty of prolonged transgressive and unacceptable behaviour, ‘which also at that time could be classed as unacceptable’.

Astronomers led by Leiden PhD candidate Richelle van Capelleveen have, for the first time, discovered an exoplanet that has carved a bright gap in the protoplanetary disc around its star. This rare observation provides new insights into how young planets shape their surroundings.

Professor Remco Breuker plays the leading role in the new documentary ‘Big in Korea’. Over three Sunday evenings, viewers can follow his journey through South Korea. How has the country developed over the past decades? And what is the impact of last December's failed coup?

Master

You are entitled to an allowance for your commuting expenses. The amount of your commuting allowance depends on your means of transport and the number of kilometres.

From assessment periods and deadlines to invigilators and organising digital assessments. Everything you need to think about for planning, organising and communicating assessments.

Management, Leadership

Since 1 January 2020 - with the transition to the Dutch Civil Code - the system of writing off leave has changed. When you take leave, the system automatically writes off the hours that fall due first.

Leiden University wants to attract the best academics. What requirements does it set for new academic staff members? What requirements must you meet for a career in academia? Read more about our career policy for academic staff.

Congratulations on your awarded grant. Here is a checklist of what to do next and who you will need to involve to get your project started.

When moving to the Netherlands, it is important to know whether you are considered resident tax payer or non-resident. Both residents and non-residents are taxed on their taxable income. A number of criteria help determine your status as resident or non-resident.

Each programme has a Board of Examiners. This is a legal requirement. The board determines whether students meets the conditions of the Course and Examination Regulations (OER) and whether they possess the knowledge, understanding and skills required to pass the final examination for that programme.

In the Mediacentre 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.

If you work at the university and are in scale 11 or above, you have the option of concluding a function-based contract.

Follow these steps to start a new mailing or newsletter.

If you are pregnant, you are entitled to a minimum of 16 weeks of maternity leave. You may take this leave at least four and no more than six weeks before your due date. If you stop working four weeks before your due date, you will have 12 weeks of maternity leave after you have given birth. If you…

To help you make the impact or valorisation of your scientific research more clearly apparent, we have created a Leiden Impact Matrix.

We provide answers here to some frequently asked questions about collaborations with the fossil fuel industry.

The working language at Leiden University is Dutch. As not all employees at the University have the same level of Dutch language skills, there are various ways of working together.

If your work allows it, you can work partly from home and partly from a university location. How exactly this combination looks for you depends on your own work and that of your team.

Thesis assessment is carried out according to faculty standards with associated assessment forms and manuals.

Ans is the university's assessment software. With assistance from ECOLe, you can easily set up digital exams.

Conference

Generative AI such as Chat GPT has been part of our working and learning environment since 2022. This AI use in the educational setting by students, teachers and staff members comes with a number of new challenges. The creative process of writing a "classic paper" for instance, can be carried out partly…

Different PhD tracks are available for different PhD candidates. Information is given here about the types of tracks, the admission requirements and the administrative steps to be taken.

For the academic year 2025-2026, nine (teams of) teachers will receive a Grassroots or Grass shoots grant. Here you can read about their projects.

This academic year, seven (teams of) teachers will receive a Grassroots or Grass shoots grant. Here you can read about their projects.

The most common assessment formats and points to consider when making your choice.

Science, Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC)

Brightspace is Leiden University's digital learning environment. With Brightspace you can share course materials, grades and updates with your students. You can create and evaluate assignments and quizzes, perform plagiarism checks, provide personalised feedback and peer-feedback, and start discussi…

In this section you will find a listing of national teaching awards, fellowships and grants.

Science, Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), Chemical Biology & Immunology

Would you like to share your research with the outside world, but don’t know where to start? Approaching the press yourself or posting on social media can seem overwhelming. PhD candidate Elise Filius decided to take the Academic Outreach course.

Associate Professor Robert Heinsch went on a staff exchange to the United States from January to April 2025. He enjoyed the challenge of teaching in a creative and more personal way. ‘I fully immersed myself in American teaching culture.’

Alongside allowances for business travel, commuting and relocation, there are also a number of smaller allowances for which you may qualify. Find out more about the meal allowance, emergency response team allowance, computer glasses allowance and the trade union contribution.

A new university-wide survey is now open to all involved in conducting, teaching, advising on, or supporting research related activities at Leiden University, aiming to better understand the current state of Open Science awareness and practice. Initiated by Archaeology’s then PhD candidate, now guest…

Wearing All Stars and ‘just’ a pair of jeans, with a backpack slung over his shoulder. It was an informal Friday afternoon with Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, at Wijnhaven. Perched on a desk, he took questions from students in the audience.

Minority governments only become an option when attempts to form a government collapse. PhD candidate Corné Smit explored why such governments have become rare in the Netherlands and what advantages they might offer. ‘Broad majority coalitions often fail to make substantial progress on key issues.’

How do you fulfill a chairing position during a team meeting? How do you visualise a dataset for a presentation? How do you write the introduction to a scientific article? All Science students can find the answers to these and many more questions in the 100+ skill modules on the digital Science Skills…

Education, 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.