3,725 search results for “helps” in the Staff website
-
‘Migration is more about hope than economy’
Afghans who came to the Netherlands in a hurry, refugees who were used as leverage by Belarus and boat refugees who tried to reach Europe in an increasingly desperate manner: the newspapers were once again filled with news about migrants. Today, on International Migrants Day, we talk to professor Marlou…
-
Join us at 3 October University and the Weekend of Science
Are you curious about how the human skeleton works? Discover this and more on 3 October in Leiden and on 4 October in The Hague.
-
Francesca Arici wants to raise maths awareness in society
Mathematician Francesca Arici has joined the Raising Public Awareness Committee of the European Mathematical Society. She aims to coordinate and unite the European efforts of communicating and promoting mathematics. ‘We also hope to achieve more recognition for people who do science communication.’
-
Leiden University academics pursue international projects with Una Europa grants
Seven interdisciplinary projects involving Leiden University academics have been awarded up to €27,000 in seed funding. They will work with Una Europa alliance partners to advance topics including academic freedom, AI in the humanities, sustainable mining and maternal health care.
-
Leiden students develop AI tool for marking assignments
Jeroen van Gessel’s lecturers didn’t always have time for extensive feedback on his written assignments. So, together with tech-savvy friend Menno Hahury, he founded Eduface, a startup to develop an AI teaching assistant. ‘The first users now work three times faster.'
-
Interview with Sarah Cramsey about her ERC grant
Sarah Cramsey, Special Chair for Central European Studies and Assistant Professor of Judaism and Diaspora studies, recently received an ERC grant for historical research into early child care in Central and Eastern Europe. In this short interview, she will give some more information on her grant, her…
-
Update Executive Board: Dark clouds over the humanities
The Schoof cabinet has presented its budget. As expected, higher education is facing severe cuts. In the coming period, the Executive Board will regularly look at the consequences of what it deems an irresponsible policy.
-
Documentary offers unique insight into the work of juvenile court judges
The documentary ‘De Stem van het Kind’ (The Voice of the Child) gives an impressive insight into the work of juvenile court judges. Documentary maker Pieter Fleury, Professor of Children’s Rights Ton Liefaard and juvenile court judge Johan Visser worked together for the past seven years to make the…
-
Public Administration student Benito investigated benefits scandal: ‘rules can profoundly impact society’
The child benefits scandal caused significant harm to families. The independent Hamer Commission specifically investigated the link between the scandal and the removal of children from their homes. Public Administration student Benito Walker was a member of this commission and shares his experiences…
-
Smart data for sustainable agriculture: less hassle, more green
In supermarkets, consumers are drowning in a sea of sustainability labels. Confusing for them, but also farmers can't see the forest for the trees. Obtaining these labels demands an enormous amount of time and effort. Berent Baris is investigating ways to simplify this process, benefiting both farmers…
-
Barista Sander Snel: ‘Every customer deserves a friendly welcome’
On a busy day, Sander Snel sees three hundred people at his coffee counter in the Herta Mohr building. ‘It's fun to remember everyone's favourite drink.’
-
The law is constantly evolving: Mayor Heijkoop visits Leiden Law School
On 7 July, the Mayor of Leiden, Peter Heijkoop, visited Leiden Law School. During his visit, he learned about the faculty’s commitment to advancing research and education while contributing to tackling the challenges faced by society.
-
Nine US presidents and their Leiden roots
There are many links between Leiden and the US. The highest office there has been held an impressive nine times by presidents with Leiden roots. This has led to memorable visits to Leiden University.
-
A quick call with Wouter Peters about the move to the new admin platform
Leiden University is switching to a new system for HR, finance and purchasing on 1 January 2026, after 27 years of using SAP. We spoke to Wouter Peters, Director of ASSC and Programme Director of BAS, about what this means for the university and you as a member of staff.
-
Working together on the plastic problem: how to keep citizens engaged?
What motivates citizens to participate in a citizen science project on plastic pollution? And does that motivation change over time? Liselotte Rambonnet tried to answer these and other questions with her research on the Clean Rivers (‘Schone Rivieren’) project. Rambonnet is a PhD student at the Institute…
-
Developing your own self-image and choosing the right study programme
How you think about yourself is important for the choices you make. Adolescents are faced with choosing a study programme that will determine their future, while their self-image is still under development. Tough choice? Research by psychologist Laura van der Aar has shown that taking a training course…
-
Posting preprints: ‘There is no reason not to’
Leiden University publishes the highest percentage of preprints in the Netherlands. Why is that and why post your article online before it has been peer reviewed? Professor of Quantitative Science Studies and keen preprint poster Ludo Waltman explains.
-
Alumni in Indonesia: ‘My experience in Leiden inspired me to try to change the situation here’
Alumni and researchers met at two well-attended alumni dinners in Yogyakarta and Jakarta. The alumni reminisced about their time in Leiden and got to see their lecturers once again.
-
Big reduction in CO2 footprint in 2020 due to coronacrisis
The university's CO2 footprint - a visual representation of Leiden University's environmental impact - is calculated every year. The CO2 footprint for 2020 shows a striking break in the trend in terms of energy use, mobility and waste.
-
Introducing: Walter Gam Nkwi
Walter Gam Nkwi is lecturer at the Institute for History, University of Leiden since 1 September 2019. He also lectures at the Den Haag campus. Walter introduces himself below.
-
Circular fuel: researchers and technicians work hand in hand on tomorrow’s solutions
From a meaningless block of plastic to an advanced component that contributes to the energy transition. The technicians and scientists of our faculty think it out in detail and make it a reality. This special project shows that they need each other.
-
Want to contribute to educational innovation? Then the Comenius grant is for you
Do you have an innovative idea on how to improve education, but don't know what steps to take next? The Comenius programme offers a range of grants for educational innovation. A lecturer and policy adviser explain which doors the grant can open.
-
Culture change at Archaeology: a conversation with Breinkorf coaches Kasper and Daniëlle
The Faculty of Archaeology is working on a culture change, with the aim of creating a socially safe working environment. Agency Breinkorf was asked to supervise this transition. From Breinkorf, coaches Kasper and Daniëlle, among others, are involved in the process. Their observations provide insight…
-
Kind, clever and hardworking: school reports are not without bias
White girls receive significantly more positive comments from their teachers in their primary school reports than white boys and children from migrant backgrounds. PhD candidate Antoinette Kroes researched subtle biases in different contexts and saw how harmful these can be.
-
Adjudication of war crimes: Keeping sight of cultural sensitivities
Courts that adjudicate war crimes or other crimes against humanity are increasingly taking regional norms and cultural values into consideration. PhD candidate Seun Bakare examined whether this could also be an asset in cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
-
How do you give a memorable presentation? Martijn Wackers has the answer
What do people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama have in common? They have mastered the art of public speaking. There are plenty of books on learning this skill, but one aspect of rhetoric remains underexposed in science: how do you make sure the audience remembers your message? Martijn Wackers…
-
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to an AI model (and rightly so)
Not experiments and lab coats, but computers and artificial intelligence: this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to the inventors of the groundbreaking AI model, AlphaFold. This programme accurately predicts protein structures based on their genetic code—a crucial step in understanding biological…
-
Rosemarijn Sterk wins prize for highest first-year average
Second-year Law student Rosemarijn Sterk achieved the highest average mark for her foundation year (2024–2025). Her average mark of 9.2 was the highest of all first-year students at our faculty. As a result, Rosemarijn was awarded a cash prize of €150 from the Legatum Böckelmanianum fund.
-
Political scientist Juan Masullo awarded Elise Mathilde Fund/LUF grant for research on public attitudes towards the mafia
Juan Masullo (Leiden University Institute of Political Science) receives a grant from the Elise Mathilde Fund/Leiden University Fund to conduct his research project ‘Forging an Anti-Mafia Culture: Observational and Experimental Evidence from Italy’. Masullo aims to find out what ordinary Italians think…
-
Kamaran Palani: ‘Completing my PhD at Leiden University is a dream of me and my deceased father’
Starting your PhD during two major crisis in your country; it happened to Kamaran Palani, PhD student at the Dual PhD Centre and ISGA who lives in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In spite of the difficulties in his county, Palani (34) stuck to his PhD-research about the fluidity…
-
‘This mentor group will be their new family’
For many a first-year, student life has well and truly begun. This also applies to students in The Hague, who were thrown in at the deep end during the HOP introduction week. We paid them a visit on a sunny afternoon at Landgoed Clingendael.
-
Smart programming for the quantum computer that does not exist yet
Designing innovative algorithms, thinking outside the box, and brainstorming over coffee with his colleagues — this is what physicist Stefano Polla enjoys most. His success shines through in his nomination for the C.J. Kok Jury Award 2024 for PhD thesis of the Year.
-
Psychologist writes sober book about psychedelic drugs
Psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD are embraced by some and seen as lethal by others. Cognitive psychologist Michiel van Elk delved into the world of psychedelic drugs and wrote a surprisingly sober book about them. ‘Without first-hand experience my story wouldn’t be complete.’
-
Initial results from the Employee Experience Survey
Organisation
-
Why we are raising everyone’s awareness about cybersecurity: ‘Do things ever threaten to go horribly wrong here? Definitely.’
The university makes staff aware of the importance of cybersecurity at work. And that is essential, say our privacy and security officers. Because the number of cyberattacks is increasing, hackers are getting smarter all the time and by far the majority of problems are caused by human error. ‘Is that…
-
Rethinking Responsible Scholarship: ‘It is in so many day-to-day decisions, we forget to pause and reflect sometimes’
Psychologists Anna van ‘t Veer and Eiko Fried will start a scientific integrity workshop tour after the summer, called Responsible Scholarship: Psychology. Their aim: giving the subject a more prominent position in the academic’s mind.
-
Tunnel vision alarm in the search for more efficient hydrogen cells
A tenacious postdoc researcher persuaded Professor Marc Koper to research the oxygen reduction reaction. In Koper's eyes, there was little of interest there. But they promptly discovered a whole new way to improve fuel cells on hydrogen and oxygen. Their article appeared in Nature Catalysis on 07 Ju…
-
‘Everyone needs to feel that they are equally valued’
Giving all scientists at the Faculty the same opportunities, that’s what assistant professor Emily Strange stands for. As women face different challenges as scientists, RISE (Researchers in Science for Equality) provides a network and support group for women at the Faculty. Two months ago, Strange…
-
Jeroen Touwen has started his second term as Vice-Dean: ‘We’re in an upward trend’
Jeroen Touwen has been reappointed as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities from 1 January. ‘The Faculty Board’s role is to serve the organisation: we try to manage the University as effectively as possible with the available resources, so that research and education can flourish.’
-
Alumnus teaching at a Texan university: pizza, guns and heated debate in the lecture theatre
Americans are electing a new president in November but they also have other choices to make in the polling booth. Alumnus Sanne Rijkhoff works at a Texas university and is trying to help make students more aware of the elections.
-
What could bring about change in Iran?
With ongoing protests across Iran, many are asking whether the regime is on the brink of collapse. Three Leiden experts share their perspectives.
-
Canal Watch scoops communication prize
Canal Watch (De Grachtwacht), which has been cleaning canals since 2018, has received the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Communication Initiative Award.
-
Military pilot and political scientist Jorik ter Veer: ‘I work with the invisible heroes of society’
Jorik ter Veer studied Political Science in Leiden. How does he look back on his student days?
-
Heated debate about combatting bankruptcy fraud: should the trustee have the final say?
Bankruptcy fraud is not being combatted effectively. When the trustee finds irregularities, the fraudster is not always punished. Politicians and the court case involving fashion chain Miss Etam’s ‘rescuer’ have rekindled the debate on bankruptcy fraud.
-
Children learn how medicines work: ‘Some pills go in your bottom!’
A pill can make you better, but how exactly does it work? Primary school children from The Hague found out during a visit to the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) as part of a new teaching module ‘The journey of a pill’.
-
‘Legal AI is a bit of a Wild West right now’
A growing number of AI tools are being developed for the legal sector, to help professionals search lengthy texts or check court rulings. Leiden SAILS researcher Masha Medvedeva, an expert on the technical development of these systems, warns: ‘Users should know what’s under the hood.’
-
How we’re setting Academia in Motion: by promoting and developing open educational resources
‘I’m setting Academia in Motion by promoting and developing Open Educational Resources (OERs) to enable affordable learning for anyone, and to keep learning and education in the hands of universities and schools,’ says physician, anatomy teacher and e-learning developer Paul Gobée.
-
Flash interview with alumna and brand new MP Mariëlle Paul
Starting as an MP during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the recent ‘role elsewhere’ debacle during the coalition talks for a new Dutch government, alumna Mariëlle is looking forward to making a real contribution in society.
-
How smart cities gain legitimacy and trust
A smart city is of no use if its residents don’t trust it. Tanaquil Arduin, Chief Data Officer at the Municipality of The Hague, and Bram Klievink, Professor of Digitalisation and Public Policy at Leiden University, explain how this can be avoided – to some extent. ‘Make sure civil servants and residents…
-
Jasper's day
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.
