Our research at CWTS is organized in three focal areas. These focal areas represent our core areas of interest, as defined in our knowledge agenda for the period 2023-2028.

We present our plans on five work areas: Students, Inclusive Education, Staff, Research, and Accessible and Inclusive Learning and Working Environment. For each work area, we explain which topics are relevant and what policy measures we (plan to) take.

The GTGC programme advances interdisciplinary research on how we govern – and could govern – major world-scale changes in contemporary society. These global transformations and governance challenges cover the themes listed here. The distinctions are not rigid, of course, and affiliated researchers often…

Within the Graduate School you can conduct your PhD research in a wide range of subjects across the Social and Behavioural Sciences, with five distinct research areas offered by its Institutes.

PLATO is active in various fields of work.

The Tappino Area Archaeological Project aims to map and analyze ancient settlement patterns and dynamics in a small valley in Central-Southern Italy, in modern Molise (province of Campobasso). The first sites in the area date to the Bronze Age. In the Iron Age to Classical period, it was reportedly…

To truly understand complex regions such as the Middle East and Asia, you have to know their culture, history and local societies inside out. Driven by curiosity for other cultures, the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) provides an understanding and analysis of current and historical…

The Centre is the proud home of several research programmes.

The Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP) is the largest innovation district in the Netherlands in the field of Life Sciences & Health. The clustering of high-quality education, research, healthcare, and industry attracts students, scientists, and entrepreneurs from all over the world to the knowledge city…

This research project addresses the ethical challenges and legal gaps regarding the operations of MNCs in conflict zones.

The Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) is devoted to the study of places in the human world from antiquity to the present time in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective.

Discover which Bachelor's programmes at Leiden University suit your area of interest.

Discover which Bachelor's programmes at Leiden University suit your area of interest.

An environmental and palaeo-economic reconstruction.

On 20 March 2019, Tim Dekkers defended his thesis 'Mobility, Control and Technology in Border Areas: Discretion and Decision-making in the Information Age'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. dr. J.P. van der Leun en Prof. dr. M.A.H. van der Woude.

Geology and Paleobotany of the Area surrounding the Archaeological Excavation at the Hazendonk River Dune (Western Netherlands).

How can the legal and socio-legal research skills of Indonesian jurists be increased in order to promote legal certainty and to strengthen the capacity of the judicial training in the country?

To what extent are, can, and should, human trafficking and human smuggling be(ing) seen as interlinked phenomena? What are the consequences of seeing the phenomena as either distinct or interlinked for the way in which migrants crossing intra-Schengen borders are treated.

In your first year at LUC you gain the basic knowledge and lay the foundation and skills for your specialization in year two and three.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2022.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2023.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2019.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2020.

The student bi-weekly online diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2021.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2024.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2017

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2018

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2025.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2026.

If spending three years at university and following the entire Dutch Studies programme is not an option for you, we offer an alternative. We have created a challenging one-year programme in which you will learn to speak Dutch and delve into Dutch culture. This programme is less comprehensive, and allows…

The opening of the Academic Year 2025-2026 took place on Monday 1 September 2025 in the Pieterskerk church.

Every January, students of the Minor Sustainable Development have the opportunity to put what they’ve learned over the last few months into practice in a choice of exciting and practical courses called Area Studies. This year, for the first time, there was a choice of four locations: The Netherlands,…

On Wednesday 14 February 2024 Yorum Beekman successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

On 17 January 2024 Ying Wang successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

On 30 January 2024 Jurre van der Meer successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

Most employed and contract PhD candidates at the Faculty of Archaeology follow a 4-year PhD track in a full-time position.

In this part of the LUC Newsletter Archive you can find the newsletters of block 3 and 4 of academic year 2019 - 2020.

On 25 January 2024 H.J. Pak successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

Visitors to Leiden's City Hall and the University Library can visit the 444 Years of Leiden University exhibition from 25 January.

In 2019 Leiden University was 444 years old. This special birthday called for a special celebration. We celebrated this milestone with the residents of Leiden and The Hague. In, with and for these two cities.

Leiden University College (LUC), an institute of Leiden University in The Hague – the international city of peace, justice, and security – offers the English-taught Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges since 2010. Inspired by the American university college model, LUC combines…

Leiden University College (LUC), an institute of Leiden University in The Hague – the international city of peace, justice, and security – offers the English-taught Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges since 2010. Inspired by the American university college model, LUC combines…

Ahead of the times? We’ve been that for over 450 years.

At the Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), scholars have been studying the Indian subcontinent with attention and expertise for more than 100 years. This part of South Asia is an economic giant with a population of over two billion. Nira Wickramasinghe, Professor of Modern South Asian Studies,…

Who inspired you to see a subject in a whole new light? The Teacher of the Year Award celebrates those who not only share knowledge but also spark curiosity, connect with students, and bring research to life. Meet the finalists for 2025!