The experiential expertise of people with a disability needs to be integrated in diversity & inclusion policy. This message was the common thread at the annual Diversity & Inclusion symposium. Students and staff members engaged in conversation about how the university can become more accessible.

What is it like to participate in the Erasmus+ grant programme as a Master's student from Ukraine? Yevhenii Radchenko did an eight-month internship at Leiden University in 2018. Soon after, he returned as a PhD candidate. 'You have little to lose, but a lot to gain.'

The new online diversity and inclusion dossier combines all faculty initiatives on this topic. But what is the situation on diversity and inclusion at Humanities? An interview with Aurelie van ‘t Slot, policy advisor Internationalisation, Diversity and Inclusion.

Micha Drukker

Last Friday, June 3rd, students, professionals and academics put their knowledge to the test during the Leiden Leadership Pubquiz/Leiden Leadership Summer Café. The pubquiz, hosted by Eduard Schmidt, touched upon public leadership in the news, posed statements about remarkable leadership research, and…

The future is digital. That is why the new Humanities Hub for Digital Research Skills, and Media (in short: Humanities Hub) will soon open its doors in the Johan Huizinga building. This Hub brings together a number of innovative labs that are in line with the development of the new Humanities Campus,…

Did your colleagues develop an inspiring educational innovation? Or, did you collaborate with teachers and/or support staff to do so?

Education, Organisation

Education

On Saturday 12 October, the Bachelor’s Open Day will be taking place in Leiden and The Hague! This is the perfect opportunity for prospective students and their parents or guardians to find out all they need to know about studying at Leiden University and the bachelor’s degree programmes we offer.

The Executive Board of the University is shocked by the unannounced demonstration that took place Thursday afternoon at the Wijnhaven location in The Hague relating to the situation in the Middle East. Without first requesting permission, a large group of students and staff held a gathering there. Moreover,…

The academic year has officially begun! Hundreds of colleagues and students came together on 6 September to see each other again after the quiet summer months. A truly festive gathering, with live music and an evening lecture by Ignas Snellen.

In March, the Faculty Strategic Plan (FSP) Steering Committee invited several forums, groups, students and members of staff to give their feedback on the draft of the Strategic Agenda. This feedback has been collected in several different ways, during meetings, via online feedback forms, or in direct…

One perspective, one cell, one outlook on life: what are we all prisoners of? That’s the question Vrij Nederland put to various experts, including Joni Reef, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the Department of Criminology.

BPS MSc student Guus Ruiter: This year I followed this new course called Design, Analysis, and Practical Use of Biologicals at the LUMC given by Rawi Ramautar and developed for both BPS MSc and Pharmacy students. During this course, there were many different speakers, in particular from biotech companies…

Leiden’s Rapenburg canal was transformed into a magical open-air stage for the jubilee edition of the Leiden Canal Concert, as hundreds gathered to celebrate 450 years of Leiden University. The concert featured an orchestra made up of students and staff performing alongside local artists.

Educator Marjo de Graauw is awarded a Comenius education grant from the Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO) for her lab education project Stress-free laboratory education with video labs.

The new university Strategic Plan Innovating and Connecting 2022-2027 was presented during the Dies Natalis on 8 February 2022. Colleagues and students from our faculty also made contributions, inspired by the vision and strategy process underway in our faculty since 2019.

What do we really know about educational quality and its measurement? This was the subject of the first Higher Education Knowledge Café.

As of 1 September, Marco van Eijk has been appointed Director of Education of the bachelor's programme Life Science & Technology. He succeeds Marcellus Ubbink, who moved to the position of Scientific Director of the Leiden Institute for Chemical Research (LIC). Van Eijk has been appointed for a period…

Koos Biesmeijer, Professor of Natural Capital, and Claire van Megen, an Educational and Child Studies student, are in with a chance of winning Leiden’s Person of the Year title.

Hundreds of students and staff from Leiden University gave a ‘whistle concert’ on 11 December against the planned cuts to higher education. Similar protests were held in other student cities on the same day.

Organisation, Security

Education, Research

This year's RISE Award goes to emeritus professor Jetty Kleijn (LIACS). According to the board of RISE, Kleijn has dedicated herself in the past years to gender equality within LIACS and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. It is the first time since the introduction of the award in 2018…

At the latest Institute Council meeting in November, the institute’s biannual prize for teaching was awarded. The award is named after Carla Musterd, a former, highly valued member of staff, who was famous for her unflinching dedication to teaching standards and excellence. The award was created to…

Over the past year, AI experts across the university have launched initiatives for and with lecturers, students and staff. This is in response to the growing role of AI in society, with its impact and associated risks calling for greater awareness within our sector. All information for lecturers is…

How can we sustain dialogue on a deeply divisive issue within our university community? On 16 February 2026, Leiden University hosted "Between the River and the Sea: An Evening with Yousef Sweid", marking the launch of the second season of the student-produced Radio Palestine/Israel podcast.

In the scientific television programme Atlas, social psychologist and former Cultural Anthropology PhD student Stacey MacDonald talks about her research on Bonaire. She shows how to align different parties to make conservation projects succeed.

Education, ICT

Three programmes at the Faculty of Humanities have been awarded medals by EW and ResearchNed. The bachelor’s in German Language and Culture took gold, and the bachelor's in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and the master's in Middle Eastern Studies each earned a bronze medal.

Leiden University is deeply concerned to have learned that several women have recently been harassed and assaulted in the centre of Leiden. In one case, this appeared to involve rape. We understand that people are upset, especially our students.

On Thursday 9 September, Lord Martin Richardson (Scottish Supreme Court judge) gave a keynote speech to the new group of Advanced Master’s students.

The project officially started in September 2020, but with the enrolment of PhD students Hanum Atikasari and Shajeela Shawkat the research team of the ERC project 'Globalizing Palliative Care? A Multi-sited Ethnographic Study of Practices, Policies and Discourses of Care at the End of Life' is compl…

Spui Campus is almost ready to open its doors. In the place where the iconic V&D department store started trading back in 1928, thousands of students will soon be attending lectures. The building has undergone an extensive renovation that is sensitive to its history.

At around noon on Tuesday 9 April, a small fire started in the basement of Leiden University’s Snellius building. The fire brigade was quickly on the scene and soon extinguished the fire.

The European Space Agency (ESA) introduces the members of the European Center for Space Law (ECSL) on its website through interviews with its members. One of those members is Tanja Masson-Zwaan.

To easily take part in group decision-making research, Jörg Gross, Assistent Professor Social and Organisational Psychology, launched a platform that allows students at the social interaction lab. Sign up to receive invitations if you are interested in taking part in on-going scientific studies in the…

Facility

Five master's programmes from the Faculty of Humanities scored highly in Keuzegids 2026.

Prof. dr. Douwe Breimer, emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, former Rector Magnificus and founder of LACDR has established a foundation to stimulate, support, and promote scientific meetings in the field of Pharmacology. Particularly those concerned with fundamental research and mathematical modelling…

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Cuinn van Keulen passed away on 30 March 2026. Cuinn joined the Political Science Bachelor programme in 2023 and was a third-year student specializing in International Relations and Organisations.

In her teaching, University Lecturer of Ancient History Liesbeth Claes uses various digital tools. Using that experience and interest she started an innovation project in order to research which digital skills history alumni need on the labour market and how these skills can be implemented in the cu…

Every six years, the quality of educational programmes is assessed. In November, an external panel thoroughly reviewed the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Psychology. Two intensive days full of interviews, documentation and evaluations have provided a clear picture of the strengths and the concrete…

The world is in turmoil. International wars and conflicts have been raging for some time. And political and social developments are causing insecurity, uncertainty and unrest. This has not gone unnoticed within our university community. We have seen protests, demonstrations and other incidents. This…

Connecting scientific fields, enhancing research and teaching, and providing innovative solutions to complex social issues: that is the idea behind interdisciplinary research. What did the university achieve in 2024? A small sample.

On 24 January 2026, the Advanced MSc International Relations and Diplomacy (MIRD) hosted its Annual Reconnect & Gala, bringing together alumni from across the world, current students, and faculty. The event celebrated shared values, connection, and purpose, focusing on ‘The great shifts in international…

The '450 Event Committee' has been planning the faculty's anniversary year for months. The powerhouses behind LAWLANDS are Hannah Saberi and Britt Polderman. We spoke to them ahead of the 450 summer celebration on 19 June.

It’s Circular Economy Week, from 1 to 6 February. But what is it that makes an economy circular? And just how circular is our university? René Kleijn, lecturer on the honours class Circular Economy: from challenge to opportunity, explains.