The year 2023 saw the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the Wagner Group rebellion and wildfires and floods as all the weather records were smashed. Our most-read stories were about the climate crisis and the elections: here’s the list.

Connecting worlds, enhancing research and teaching, and providing innovative solutions to complex social issues: that is the idea behind interdisciplinary research. In that respect, a huge amount happened at Leiden University in 2023.

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.

In Bronze Age Europe many bronze objects such as axes, swords and jewels were deliberately left at specific spots in the landscape. PhD research by Leiden archaeologist Marieke Visser shows that these practices were expressions of people’s relationship with the world around them. ‘It was a completely…

Wil Roebroeks was part of an international research project examining turtle shells from Neumark-Nord. The 92 shell fragments were carefully and thoroughly cleaned by Neanderthal hunters about 125,000 years ago. It is likely that they were not hunted for food but for the shells themselves as the site…

The interdisciplinary, English-taught minor ‘Violence Studies’ looks at violence from very diverse scientific perspectives. What are the benefits from this approach? Students and lecturers evaluate: ‘This minor’s a goldmine’.

A new study sugggests that through informal networks, Mesopotamian merchants established a standardized system of weights that later spread across Europe, enabling trade across the continent. The advance effectively formed the first known common Eurasian market more than 3000 years ago. “This is…

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.

Amidst great interest from locals and visitors, Emperor Naruhito and King Willem-Alexander paid a visit to Leiden University on 18 June. In the Hortus botanicus they talked with students and researchers. ‘This visit emphasises our shared ambition.’

Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam have been collaborating intensively for many years. In 2012 this collaboration was formalised in the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities strategic alliance. This has allowed us to approach important and complex societal…

If you were declared disabled for work on or prior to 1 January 2016, and you are the recipient of a wage-related WGA benefit, you may also be eligible for what is known as a WGA compensation benefit.

Within all bachelor’s and master’s programmes, depending on the type of programme, attention is paid to ensuring that academic research is carried out scrupulously. For each programme, this is done in a way that is appropriate for the discipline in question.

If you are an employee at the university and you are ready for the next step in your career, Leiden University offers a number of internal job openings. To qualify for an internal job opening, you must be an internal candidate.

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.

A new study published in Nature provides the most detailed picture to date of Neandertal diversity in western Europe shortly before their extinction.

The University believes it is important that you are happy in your work. This is why we gauge your opinion with the personnel monitor. We use the results to make improvements that enhance job satisfaction.

For inspirational leadership as the basis for a safe and resilient work culture.

For a workplace where social safety is self-evident.

The integrity and reliability of academic research are of fundamental importance to the University. All parties, both within and outside the University, must be able to have confidence that our research is conducted in a scrupulous, fair, verifiable, impartial and independent manner.

For decades, a collection of ancient Mediterranean ceramics and artefacts served as a teaching resource for Archaeology students at the Leiden Faculty of Archaeology. Now, a selection of these objects has found a new audience at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, where Assistant Professor…

How can we better align research support tasks across the project life cycle? That was the question explored by more than 100 research support professionals during the sixth Leiden Research Support Network Conference.

On July 1, Maurice Janssen will defend his doctoral thesis on pottery production in South Limburg during the Middle Ages. For his research, he studied old publications of research and excavation reports to see how the pottery and the sites were recorded and interpreted at the time.

If your employment ends, you may be eligible for a transition payment. You could use this allowance for education or training, or to make your transition to your next job smoother. Do you qualify for a transition allowance?

The Comenius innovation programme for higher education and universities of applied science gives teachers the resources to implement their vision for education. Every year, the programme creates the conditions for a wide range of teaching innovations to flourish. The government’s aim with this programme…

If you are unable to come to work due to sickness, find out below how to report sick and how the University guides its employees on sick leave.

On this page you will read all about the Kiem funding tool.

Degree programmes must be assessed and accredited once every six years to ensure they provide a high standard of education. You may be asked to speak to the assessment panel.

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

Organisation

What do wooden casks tell us about trade and everyday life between 1300 and 1800? PhD candidate Jeroen Oosterbaan studied the life cycle of this shipping container and has shown how these everyday objects played a key role in the development of international trade networks.

Research, Didactics, Career development

Leiden University is committed to making your work safe, healthy and enjoyable.

Collecting personal and sensitive data is not as common an issue in archaeological research as in some other fields such as sociology and political sciences which is often the reason why archaeologists might not be aware that they are handling those types of data.

On 27 May 2025, the Executive Board decided to establish a Committee on Human Rights / Conflict Zones.

Research, Transferable skills

Human resources

Human resources

Research, Transferable skills

Last weekend, all university buildings were closed and the university systems were unavailable. The reason for this was the major maintenance of the university network. The network’s core needed to be shut down for this, including all supplies and services. A large group of staff from ISSC as well as…

They are big and white, devour energy and could be gathering dust in your department: old, faulty or unused fridges are anything but sustainable. This spring, staff from the Faculty of Humanities swapped 18 of these electricity guzzlers for more energy-efficient models. How did they go about this and…

The Netherlands returned 478 artefacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka this week, on the advice of a Dutch committee. Rightly so, says Leiden professor Pieter ter Keurs from the Museums, Collections and Society interdisciplinary research programme. ‘But do make it clear why you are returning something.’