PhD defence

While investigating 16 years of images of young stars from a retired astronomical camera, Leiden master's student Sam de Regt discovered that two of those stars were still enveloped in birth clouds. Never before has anyone captured these two stars in so much detail. He publishes his data-cleaning method…

A team led by Leiden University in the Netherlands and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory have, for the first time, robustly detected semi-heavy water ice around a young sunlike star. In this ice, some of the ordinary hydrogen atoms have been replaced by deuterium, a heavier variant of hydroge…

Two teams of astronomers, including one from Leiden University, have discovered oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. This groundbreaking discovery shows that galaxies could form much faster in the early universe than was previously thought.

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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.

Cultural Anthropology students in Leiden are encouraged to think creatively and explore different ways of sharing knowledge, such as by producing zines. CADS graduate Dorota Olsavska combined her anthropological skills with her love for discovering little-known stories and writing, and earlier this…

Leiden University guides PhD candidates step by step from the start to the defence. You will find more information here about admission, the PhD track, and completion, as well as answers to questions such as: what conditions must I meet? What requirements must my dissertation meet? And what is involved…

Research, Didactics, Career development

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Leiden University offers practical support and advice for professional communication. Here you will find all the guidelines and tools you need to get started immediately, as well as answers to questions such as: How do you apply the house style? Where can I find suitable imagery? And who can I turn…

An organisation the size of Leiden University requires careful internal communication.

Leiden University offers researchers extensive facilities and support at every stage of their academic career. Here you will find more information on funding, policy, and publishing, as well as answers to questions such as: How do I arrange a PhD track? Which research grants are available? And what…

Depending on its purpose, assessment can support ongoing learning, provide final evaluations, or help students reflect on their own progress.

Would you like to share your academic news with the world? Since 1 January 2024, Leiden University has been a partner of The Conversation, an international not-for-profit news platform that unlocks academic knowledge for a wide audience.

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

Career development, Communication, Transferable skills

Personal development, Transferable skills

Communication, Outreach, Transferable skills

Research, Transferable skills

Research, Communication, Transferable skills

Research

Research, Transferable skills

How do molecules originate and evolve in space? And how does that ultimately determine the chemical composition of planets and their atmospheres? The Dutch Astrochemistry Network (DANIII) receives 1.6 million euros from NWO to find out. A large group of Leiden astronomers and chemists is contributing:…

Fraud and plagiarism in assessment can unfortunately be seen everywhere, even among our students. In relation to this, as an examiner you have an important role in safeguarding academic integrity.

Assessment design is essential for measuring student progress and providing feedback that reinforces their learning.

If you want your students to be actively involved in your lecture or tutorial, book an Active Learning Classroom!

Research, Transferable skills

Career development, Transferable skills

This page is helpful if you want to produce knowledge clips, ask your students to work with multimedia themselves or ‘flip’ your teaching with video or audio material.

Didactics, Career development

Looking for an easy way to compile, order or view readers online? Then meet ReaderOnline. The instructions below will help you on your way.

Good teaching is a skill in itself. In order to guarantee the quality of education in the Netherlands, the University Teaching Qualification (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO) is now compulsory for all lecturers, university lecturers (UD), senior university lecturers (UHD) and professors. What does…

In 2022-2023 eight (teams of) teachers received a Grassroots or Grass shoots grant. Here you can read about their projects.

This step-by-step plan will guide you through the various stages of assessment: from design to organization and review.

Communication, Research, Transferable skills

Personal development, Transferable skills

Research

How did political actors speak when confronted with perceived threats to the existing order? And how did such speech, in turn, shape political outcomes over time?

We have to do all we can to stop climate change. But: the Earth is more resilient than we thought. That is the surprising conclusion of an international team of ecologists and mathematicians, which included Leiden mathematician Arjen Doelman. The team discovered that ecosystems can still avoid tipping…

Galaxies in the early universe contain more dust and hidden star formation than previously thought. That's what Ivana van Leeuwen concludes in her PhD research, where she combines data from various telescopes to create a more complete picture.

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

Two information sessions will be held on 28 October where colleagues can learn all about the Atelier teaching format. We spoke to Atelier Coordinator Kristof Gombeer about the Atelier pilot, its evaluation, and the plans for its implementation.

How can you ensure that your research hits the headlines? How can you bring your research output, such as PhD research or a publication, to the attention of the public?

Celebrate Leiden University’s 450th anniversary with the special International Staff Week Connecting New Opportunities, taking place from 3 to 5 September. Join academics and professionals to explore transformative developments and challenges of the 21st century in international higher education.

When the PhD research has been completed and the dissertation is (nearly) finished, there are several more steps to take before you can defend it. For example, you must submit your manuscript and make preparations for the PhD defence ceremony.

Leiden Observatory has achieved a rare feat: two of its research teams have been awarded prestigious ALMA Large Programmes, allowing them to study how galaxies formed and evolved in the early Universe using cutting-edge telescope observations.