For her bachelor’s thesis, Molecular Science and Technology student Madouc Bergers synthesized her own molecule that can inhibit the breakdown of sugars. Although most students do not even manage to make one building block, Madouc made three. Partly because of this, she has been nominated for the Science…

Tineke Schutte made her debut as beadle at Maartje Schoorl's inaugural lecture on 29 April. A unique moment because she's the first female beadle in the history of our university.

For thirty years, the Dutch Newspaper AD conducted an annual search for the best herring. This came to an end when economist Ben Vollaard, based on a statistical analysis, claimed it was rigged. But that claim doesn't smell right, says Leiden statistician Richard Gill. ‘The way you code and process…

Sterre ter Haar has won the Rachel Carson Graduation Prize for her thesis on how rising levels of CO₂ affect the nutrient content of plants. For the Industrial Ecology student, the award is a crowning achievement after a difficult period of recovering from long COVID.

How can humans and computers learn from data? To research this, scientists often use so-called Bayesian methods. Although these methods are widely used, they also have limitations and are not always easy to interpret. In her dissertation Rianne de Heide describes some of these problems and introduces…

Elena Maria Rossi is fascinated by black holes. Her appointment as a professor was a long-held wish, partly because there are so few female professors in her field. ‘My appointment is also a milestone for the Leiden Observatory.’

The Faculty of Humanities has appointed a confidential advisor for all PhD candidates. Aside from this, each institute also has one (or two) PhD counsellor(s). On this page you can read who they are and what they can do for you if in your position as a PhD candidate you experience problems for which…

Are you looking for a coach? If so, you’re welcome to contact one of the university’s internal or external coaches; you can do this directly yourself, after choosing a coach who seems suitable.

If you bring in a (new) person who will be processing personal data for you, this person is not allowed to use this information for his or her own purposes. You need to formalise this in a data processing agreement. The university will usually have an agreement in place.

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

When you (accidentally) cause injury or damage to someone else, you are liable. The other person or party can reclaim his or her financial loss from you. With a liability insurance, the insurer will reimburse the ‘victim’ for the costs of the damage caused.

The Andrea Evers Fund provides funding for innovative, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects in the area of health and well-being.

The theme Sustainability is one of the five continuous developmental themes in the strategical plan Innovating and connecting – 2022 - 2027 of Leiden University. Making sustainability one of the hot topics.

Marjan van Dasselaar is the Staff Ombuds Officer. The Staff Ombuds Officer gives independent advice to the University on how the staff’s work environment can be made safer.

Course

All doctoral dissertations are checked for plagiarism before they are submitted to the doctorate committee.

Leiden University has an extensive in-house emergency service (Bedrijfshulpverlening, BHV). An emergency response officer is an employee who has followed a training programme allowing him or her to assist others in case of minor incidents. Do you want to become an emergency response officer yourself?…

The ECTS grading table provides an insight into the value of a student’s grades and facilitates international grade comparison.

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Individuals have the right to instruct the university to delete their personal data in a number of cases. For instance, if the university no longer needs the data, or if the person withdraws consent previously given.

Integration of research and teaching is one of the ambitions of our vision on teaching and learning (Learning@LeidenUniversity).

If your work allows it, you can work partly from home and partly at the University. How this combination of working from home and at the University will turn out for you depends on your own working activities and situation and those of your team. This means that tailor-made solutions are needed.

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

Arts and leisure, Arts and leisure

Many Leiden University employees engage in ancillary activities. The University stimulates such activities because we believe that the right place for a university is at the very heart of society. Ancillary activities bring together research, teaching and society. However, there are some limits on what…

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

Our confidential counsellors can provide confidential advice on a range of issues, including bullying, intimidation, sexual harassment, aggression and discrimination. You can also approach them with concerns about your manager or potential breaches of academic integrity.

Lecture

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Lecture, Tuesday Talk

Floske Spieksma will give her inaugural lecture as Professor of Mathematics of Operations Research on 1 September. A discussion about mathematical models, Venezuela, trembling knees, being the only woman, casinos, intuition and above all loving your job.

Biologist Nataliia Machushynets felt like she was ‘looking for a needle in a haystack’, trying to find new antibiotics to help solve the problem of resistance. During her PhD research, she did find what she was looking for, in the soil beneath our feet.

It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that our dear colleague Andrea Evers passed away on Monday, 4 August 2025. Since 2013, Andrea had been affiliated with the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Leiden University as Professor of Health Psychology. She was an undeniable driving force…

There are many tributaries to Rosalin Kuiper’s story and they all lead to the sea. The 28-year-old sailor was one of the five-person Team Malizia in the world’s most prestigious sailing competition: the Ocean Race.

Not only does she excel at her research, she is also active in outreach and started a collaboration outside her own field during her PhD. Yevheniia Cheipesh has been awarded the first prize in the For Women in Science Rising Talent Prize by L’Oreal, UNESCO and the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and…

How do you combine the growth of wind energy with the protection of vulnerable seabirds? With her master’s thesis on this delicate balance, Sofie Hajer won the 2025 Unilever Research Prize. Her work provides new insights into how ecology and policy can strengthen each other.

After nearly five years as President of the Executive Board, Annetje Ottow will be stepping down from the role as of 1 September. During her time as President, she helped shape the university’s strategic direction, strengthening its regional, European and international profile. Sustainability, and dignity…

She stands out for the moderate tone she takes in discussions on Dutch talk shows. Without judgement you can have an open conversation, criminal lawyer Natacha Harlequin learned in her student days in Leiden. ‘What I personally think of the alleged act doesn’t matter so much.’