Did you know that Leiden University has an active staff association? As a member you can get to know colleagues in an informal setting during activities such as cooking, playing padel, going on a boat trip or doing Christmas shopping. But, say board members Tom Stapper and Jeanine Rosheuvel, it’s fine…

On Tuesday 6 May our university was the scene of an unscheduled demonstration and occupation at Campus The Hague. We understand that this incident and its consequences have shaken both the university and the wider community. We look back at the events and their effects.

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

If you need any help with your research or if you encounter problems during your PhD track, Leiden University provides several different types of support for PhD candidates. There are also groups, networks and communities in which you can meet other PhD candidates.

Bachelor, Master

Are you an international researcher working for Leiden University? Please note that you probably are legally obliged to take out health insurance. Here you will find if you need a public or a private health insurance, and how to apply for it.

Maileon statistics give you insight into the success of your email campaigns. How often was an email opened, which links did recipients click on and how many unsubscribes were there? With that data, you can optimise your campaigns.

From 16 to 23 October 2025, the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) will host the second edition of Cyber Week. Following last year’s success, we will once again shine a daily spotlight on our teaching and research in the field of cybersecurity through LinkedIn and Instagram. Today’s societal…

If we want to show the impact of our research, we can’t do so without science communication. But how do you go about communicating science? Where do you start as a science communication novice? And how do you take your communication to a higher level? On this page, you will find websites, articles,…

Leiden University is committed to creating a pleasant working environment for its staff. It may nevertheless happen that you find yourself unable to work due to a temporary or long-term illness or disability. The university occupational health physicians can help you reduce health risks and give you…

Leiden University is committed to creating a pleasant working environment for its staff. It may nevertheless happen that you find yourself unable to work due to a temporary or long-term illness or disability. The university occupational health physician can help you reduce health risks and give you…

Eighty students from universities across Europe and Africa are coming together this week to explore the topic of sustainability at the Una Europa Student Congress at Campus The Hague. The event is just one example of the many opportunities the alliance offers our students and staff.

European Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (Startups, Research and Innovation) visited the Leiden Bio Science Park on 12 June to see how the Leiden life science & health ecosystem works.

With a symbolic basketball pass, the construction company handed over the new sports centre to the university on 1 December. The building is ready to be fitted out for use. From 9 February, all are welcome: to do sports or just explore.

Organisation, Social

The many thousands of small celestial bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit may have ended up there due to a star that passed close to the solar system billions of years ago. This is shown by Leiden simulation expert Simon Portegies Zwart, along with his German and Dutch colleagues. ‘We are answering several…

Organisation

On Tuesday 27 May a first meeting was held in response to the demonstration and occupation at the Wijnhaven building on 6 May. The aim was to explore how the university can balance the fundamental right to protest with ensuring a safe environment for all students and staff.

Students and researches from all faculties at Leiden University are warmly invited to a lunch meeting on Monday 14 October, discussing the rise of AI and the challenges this poses for various governance structures. The event is hosted by Leiden University’s interdisciplinary programmes GTGC and SAIL…

Did you know that each year 18 billion animals die without making it to someone’s plate? Governance of Sustainability alumna Juliane Klaura has won the second prize for her thesis about the environmental impact of global food production. She won the prize at the university-wide master thesis award event,…

Research

How can we use new digital technologies in research and teaching? And how far are we in developing independent cloud solutions? These questions took centre stage at Our Digital Future, where the university, the LUMC, Leiden University of Applied Sciences and Naturalis met to share their expertise.

This year’s We are Science Week was another great success! For the first time, the Campus Square was transformed into a true festival site. Take a look at the photos and join us in looking back on this enjoyable week!

On March 24, 2025, World TB Day, we (Annemarie Meijer (IBL), Matthias Barz (LACDR), and Simone Joosten (LUMC) hosted the symposium „A Dutch Perspective on Mycobacterial Infections“, which brought together the Dutch scientific community working on mycobacterial infections.

Recently, we had the LACDR PhD Introductory course on Drug Research for starting PhD candidates. It was great to have this live event live in castle Oud Poelgeest, after two years of restrictions.

During the 6th edition of the Graz Expert Meeting on Single-cell sequencing technologies in the cardiovascular field, held on September 15 and 16 in Graz, Austria, Jill de Mol from the group of Dr. Amanda Foks from the Division of BioTherapeutics received the award for best poster presentation.

The PhD introductory course will take place on 30 May, 31 May and 1 June 2022 in castle Oud Poelgeest. We are very happy that it will be a live event (as it stands now).

Education

On Thursday the 9th of December the LACDR Fall Symposium 2021 took place. Although the plan was to organize this symposium physically, unfortunately this was not possible due to the corona measures and it became an online event.

Social

Learn how to use Maileon’s editor and how to follow the editorial guidelines.

Researchers Rowie Stolk and Caelesta Braun’s ‘Litigation in the name of public interest’ Kiem project included an interdisciplinary workshop on the same topic. For starting PhD candidates in particular, this was the chance to build valuable connections.

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.

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.

Three student athletes from Leiden University are representing the Netherlands at the FISU Summer World University Games, a kind of Olympic Games for students.

Turning beer waste into a useful, sustainable product. That was the mission of students from Leiden at the international BISC-E event. The biology students challenged themselves and won third place in the Dutch finals of this competition. For this, they used the simple formula: Grain + fungus = coas…

You may know it by the umbrella term 'citizen science'. You may also use terms such as volunteer mapping, patient co-researcher, or even community engaged learning to describe participatory practices in your research or teaching. No matter what you call it, there’s plenty going on when it comes to this…

Thousands of first-year students and hundreds of mentors kicked off the EL CID on Monday morning. This year for the first time, the introduction week of Leiden University and Leiden University of Applied Sciences was also open for students of Regional Training Centre mboRijnland and the Leiden Instrument…

Are international courts effective? Dr Fatou Bensouda, a former Lead Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC), will discuss this issue during her lecture at the Owada Symposium 2025. The ICC’s efficacy depends on the actions of its member states, she says.

What skills do students need to function as academic professionals and engaged citizens?

How do you rebuild a field of science after years of war? In June, a remarkable gathering of Ukrainian and Dutch astronomers took place at Leiden’s Old Observatory, aimed at jointly developing a recovery plan for Ukrainian astronomy.

Have you considered including the Leiden University Fund in your will?

Nearly 19,000 runners lined up at the start of Leiden Marathon on Sunday, among them students and staff from the university. For some this was their first race, for others a highlight of their year. This year, in celebration of our 450th anniversary, they ran in a special jubilee t-shirt.

How can inclusive communication make you feel welcome at a university? That is one of the questions that will be discussed at the D&I Symposium 2023 on 19 January. We ask Diversity Officer Aya Ezawa three questions about this symposium.

Data scientist Lindsey Burggraaff has won the second edition of the Krijn Rietveld Memorial Innovation Award. She receives the prize for her research into bioactive substances in food. ‘Burggraaff's work is situated at a unique intersection of data science, biochemistry and the fields of food and nutrition,’…

Gerard van Westen has received the KNCV Gold Medal, the most important Dutch award for chemists under 40. 'It's a huge honour,' says the professor of AI and medicinal chemistry. 'I am now part of the group of people I was always impressed by.'