Knowledge and culture subproject 4:

Markus Davidsen defended his thesis on 16 October 2014

The project focuses on an intriguing aspect of André Chénier’s poetry, which has not received much attention in scholarship: Chénier’s indebtedness – in the form of translation, adaptation, borrowing, reference – to Hellenistic poetry; it interprets the role of this indebtedness in his poetical and…

On 10 June 2021, Merinda Stewart defended her thesis 'Freedom of Overflight: A Study of Coastal State Jurisdiction in International Airspace'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. P.M.J. Mendes de Leon en Prof. J.J. Rijpma.

This study examines the system and poetics of literary patronage in the Renaissance by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the poetry of Giannantonio Campano. In this way, it addresses two themes largely overlooked by modern scholarship.

This thesis describes a study from both a theoreticaL and an experimental point of view.

Tero Alstola defended his thesis on 21 December 2017

Like a mixture of oil and water, lipid membranes separate into two liquid phases.

This 25th volume in the series 'Islam in Africa', edited by Annachiara Raia, is a pioneering collection of poetry by the outstanding Kenyan poet, intellectual and imam Ustadh Mahmmoud Mau (born 1952) from Lamu island, once an Indian Ocean hub, now on the edge of the nation state.

On the largest scale, the Universe resembles a cosmic spiderweb. Most galaxies coexist in small groups within the threads of this web. At the nodes of the threads are enormous groups of galaxies forming the largest structures in the universe still held together by gravity: clusters of galaxies.

On the 16th of June Patrtick Harrison successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

β-Lactamases are enzymes that can break down β-lactam substrates, such as antibiotics, preventing the use of these antibiotics for the treatment of various infectious diseases. However, some compounds, β-lactamase inhibitors, can block these enzymes allowing for possible treatments using a combination…

This dissertation defends the existence of a type of movement that has so far been considered not to be possible, namely, movement of a bare head to a specifier position over arbitrarily long distances.

This dissertation focuses on a new field of artistic research in which a visual artist takes on the role of researcher. The main research question is whether performance art integrated in an ecumenical service, combined with artistic directions from the artist, can enhance the religious experience of…

This PhD research sets out to unravel and explain the socio-structural and cultural impacts of oil-industrialization on the local Bakhtiari community in general and the industrial laborers it provided in specific.

Lucas den Boer defended his thesis on 23 April 2020

Stylianos Irakleous defended his thesis on 6 February 2020

On the 20th of October Abdullah Alhatlani successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

Chaider Bamualim defended his thesis on 9 September 2015

This dissertation investigates A'-dependencies in Standard German, Zurich German and Dutch where the dislocated constituent is indirectly, i.e. not transformationally, related to the position where it is interpreted. The analysis is carried out within the Principles & Parameters framework.

How has interreligious encounter in Ogbómòsó created multiple religious belongings and identities among individuals and groups?

Promotores: F.H.J. Redig, W.T.F. den Hollander

Viviana Massa defended her thesis on 16 December 2018.

The chief aim of this study is to explore how classical Persian poetry and the Persian mysticism that is interwoven with the poetry have been used in the new politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially during the Iran-Iraq war.

Diede Farhosh-van Loon defended her thesis on 18 October 2016

This thesis is a sample-based typological study of formal and semantic patterns in terms for a selection of referring (

Solar energy harnessed by plants and algae has great potential to be converted into biofuels for future generations.

The Persian language and its poetry are intertwined with the history of Central Asia. Although some mediaeval poets were later claimed by an individual state, their influence knew no frontiers. This is what Gabrielle van den Berg, Professor of Cultural History of Iran and Central Asia, argues in her…

Whilst government’s ability to design ‘context-specific’ regional innovation policy is generally assumed to depend on the region’s decision-making power, the aim of this study is to investigate how regional government matters. In order to open up the black box of policy design, the study develops a…

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to develop a cheap and fast method to produce hollow microneedles and an applicator for injecting vaccines into the skin at a pre-defined depth and test the applicability of the system for dermal polio vaccination.

Do offshore windfarms affect the local biodiversity of the pelagic fish community and are fish deterred or attracted by sounds?

Which factors (human-dimension and carnivore related) shape human tolerance of large carnivore and large carnivore survival in multiple use forests?

If Gerard Fieret’s photography has been unjustly ignored until recent exhibitions in New York, Amsterdam, and Paris, his poetry continues to be unknown outside of the Netherlands. Across more than ten published collections, Fieret gives form to a body of poetry in which a desire to record the urban…

The South African poet and author Antjie Krog gave the 37th Albert Verwey Lecture in the Great Auditorium in the Academy Building on 18 November. Inspired by Verwey’s poem ‘De zegger van verzen’, Krog’s lecture was a polyphonic and multilingual love letter to poetry.

Aristotle's Poetics: the oldest and most influential work of western literary theory.

Is the current existing legal framework on compulsory and voluntary care - for vulnerable young adults (between the ages of 18 to 23) - in need of revision? And if so, what kind of amendments would be advisable?

Occupational health in the Emergency Department

A discount on textbooks is always welcome. But for these students joining a study association has meant much more than that alone.

If you are going to study, it is not only important that you like the study programme. It’s also good to already have an idea of which professions you might enjoy.

The focus will be on recent academic research in Literary Studies at the intersection with Digital Humanities. Lectures and interactive workshops will be given by experts in the field.

Lecture, Leiden Lectures on Arabic Language & Culture

Ambroise Paré, Thomas Sydenham and Herman Boerhaave: all were great medical innovators in their time. We know far less about the 19th-century Russian physician and scientist Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov. PhD candidate Inge Hendriks researched him in Dutch and Russian archives and collections. She discovered…

At Leiden University you can choose from 16 English-taught bachelor’s and 250 English-taught master’s programmes. We enjoy an excellent worldwide reputation accumulated over more than four centuries. Today we’re consistently highly placed in major rankings, such as The Times Higher Education, QS and…

A study carried out at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) on the wellbeing of PhD candidates at Leiden University has shown that a number of them experience so much stress that they can develop mental health problems. The supervision of PhD candidates is a continuing focus of attention…

Literary salon

Leiden Law School offers an extensive range of English-taught law courses at undergraduate level. These are open to both Dutch and international students alike, giving them a truly international flavour.