The Plants & Planets exhibition brings two worlds together in a dazzling mix of science, nature and art. It opens at Old Observatory Leiden and Hortus botanicus on 7 February.

Of the women studying at university, 52% have experienced some form of sexual harassment. For male students, the figure is 19%.

Ten Leiden museums and heritage institutions have curated the online exhibition ‘Carel’s Universe’. They selected objects from their collections that symbolise retiring Rector Magnificus Carel Stolker and the research in Leiden. With direct references, playful associations and the odd nod and wink.

Scrap the radical cuts to research and teaching. This was researchers and students’ message to government at the opening of the new academic year. Various speakers in Leiden’s Pieterskerk highlighted the importance of science for society.

The importance of science communication and cross-boundary collaboration, and the ‘mantra’ of diminishing social cohesion in society: these all came up at Leiden University’s 448th Dies Natalis. A panel discussion including Leiden’s mayor Lenferink, music and two honorary doctorates completed the special…

If you want to travel for work to an area with a security risk country or area with the color code orange and/or red, you need prior permission from the university.

The Executive Board of the Institute of Psychology has a new Director of Operational Management. It’s the perfect role for Paula van den Bergh. ‘For me, “connection” is a nice word. If you see the connections between things, you immediately see the logic behind the processes.’ Her career has taken her…

Each programme has a Board of Examiners. This is a legal requirement. The board determines whether students meets the conditions of the Course and Examination Regulations (OER) and whether they possess the knowledge, understanding and skills required to pass the final examination for that programme.

The mandatory diversity quota in the Netherlands means that considerably more women are on the supervisory boards of listed companies. This is evident from research conducted by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) to which Leiden University also contributed.

What can we learn from female colleagues who are the first to hold top positions within the university? On International Women’s Day, President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow and Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl talked with a group of university staff from all levels within the organisation, and…

Professor Jasper Knoester has been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science at Leiden University. He will take up the role on 1 January 2022. Knoester is currently Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering at the University of Groningen. He succeeds Paul Wouters (Dean of the Faculty of Social and…

On January 1st Jasper Knoester started as our new dean. How is he finding it? What kinds of things is he doing and what does his day look like? In each newsletter Jasper gives a peek into his life as dean.

Alongside the funds that the faculties receive from the Executive Board, they can obtain extra funds from other funding bodies for their teaching and research. These extra sources of income are termed the second and third income streams.

An annual plan ensures that Planning & Control is embedded in the organisation. The plan states who provides what and when. This means that the right information is available at the right time, allowing for the proper financial management of the University.

Leiden University frequently reviews the quality of its research. We do this by means of both internal and external assessments. Read how we monitor and assess the quality of our research.

The financial developments for the coming years are outlined in the Framework Memorandum. The Memorandum forms the basis of the Planning & Control cycle for each new year. Furthermore, it compares the expected income from the first income stream (government funding and the tuition fee) with the budgets…

Demonstrations can be used to show and explain a skill or procedure in a setting from practice, like a lab or (fictitious) courtroom.

It is essential for researchers to be able to obtain independent research funding in order to advance in their career.

At Leiden University, we know a long tradition of working with international partners. To encourage successful and strategic partnerships, the Leiden University Global Fund (LUGF) was established in 2024. This fund is intended to invest in worldwide partnerships, activities and initiatives. One of the…

The more diverse a work environment is the more creative and innovative it will be. This in turn promotes quality of education and research, which is why Leiden University is committed to equal opportunities for each individual, whether these are opportunities for appointment, for promotion, or to optimally…

Through Open Access, research results from around the world are freely accessible to all. It is an incentive for exchanging and utilising knowledge and fresh insights between scientists, companies and social institutions. The Centre for Digital Scholarship at the University Library offers support with…

Leiden University is going to partner with the Asian Development Bank, a bank committed to regional development. President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow signed a memorandum of understanding on this unique partnership in Manila on 27 April.

In a new article in the journal Scientific Reports, Leiden archaeologist Wei Chu and colleagues report on recent excavations in Western Romania at the site of Româneşti, one of the most important sites in southeastern Europe associated with the earliest Homo sapiens. The site gives an important glimpse…

No procession of professors, just a handful of people in the church and snowdrifts outside Leiden’s Pieterskerk: 8 February 2021 was no ordinary Dies Natalis. Carel Stolker transferred the rectorate to Hester Bijl, and Annetje Ottow became the new President of the Executive Board. With an honorary doctorate…

Should Leiden University cut its ties with the fossil fuel industry forthwith? This was the main question in a debate between students and staff. The answer was clearer for some than for others.

After a turbulent Covid year, the well-being of our students and staff has the highest priority. How can we prevent physical and mental health problems? This was the key question at the Opening of the Academic Year in Pieterskerk in Leiden on 6 September.

The university bid farewell to its Rector Magnificus, Hester Bijl, on 13 January during the ‘Hester’s Highlights’ symposium.

An extra-long cortège, three honorary doctorates, a quiz about 450 years of university history, a Dies Natalis rap and a call to defend academic freedom: these all featured in Leiden University’s 450th Dies Natalis celebration and the official start of its jubilee year.

Since the beginning of September, it is a fact: our faculty has a new strategic plan. The plan outlines what we will collectively commit to in the coming years. Is that important? For sure, say our directors Suzanne van der Pluijm (Operations) and Bart de Smit (Education). ‘The purpose of a strategic…

Care robots, medical treatments, deepfakes and self-driving cars all with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI). The BrAInpower exhibition at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave shows spectacular applications of AI and explains how it can make such huge leaps. Bas Haring, Professor of Public Understanding of Science,…

Are you planning to go abroad for work for more than one month? Do you have some ancillary activities abroad? Or are you planning to move abroad? If you are going abroad on behalf of Leiden University, it is important to make the necessary arrangements for working there.

On November 25th, BPS students Bart van Lieshout (right) and Scott Engels (left) received Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg Research Prizes from the KHMW. This annual prize is awarded to students who have written a master's thesis in the pharmaceutical and medical sciences field.

This year, there are elections for the student section of the University Council, the Faculty Councils and the Student Council of LUMC, the staff section of all Faculty Councils and all Employee Councils. What topics and positions do you find important? With your vote, you ultimately have a say in university…

There are several complaints committees at the university.

The academic freedom core team was established by Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl in the summer of 2022. It comprises five professors from five different faculties: Martine de Vries (LUMC), Frits van der Meer (FGGA), Sense Jan van der Molen (Science), Jannemieke Ouwerkerk (Law) and Herman Paul (Humanities).…