What started with a huge sheet of paper from the V&D shop grew into one of the larger men’s sub associations at Quintus. Professor Gerard van Westen looks back on his student days with a smile: they gave him far more than just drinks and late nights.

Every year, Leiden University hosts the Annie Romein-Verschoor Lecture to mark International Women’s Day. This year, historian Nadia Bouras will speak about academic freedom, class and being a woman in academia. And that is just as relevant to men, says lecturer and organiser Looi van Kessel.

What effect did the lockdown have on young people? Leiden researchers started a study of this in the first year of the covid pandemic. They discovered an impact on the development of the brain areas involved in social behaviour. The researchers published their discovery in Scientific Reports at Nat…

Connecting as the magic word. Seeking new collaborations, presenting ourselves to the outside world with an open attitude and showing what we do. During the opening of the academic year on Tuesday afternoon, Dean Jasper Knoester emphasised that change and connection are necessary for the university…

How do fats and enzymes in the brain contribute to multiple sclerosis? In his PhD research, Daan van der Vliet combined chemistry and neuroscience to gain new insights into how brain disorders develop.

Chemotherapy, but without hair loss or extreme fatigue. It may be possible if the toxic drug only becomes active where it is ‘switched on’ by light. Matthijs Hakkennes has helped bring that idea closer to reality and obtained his PhD cum laude. ‘I received many thank-you emails from China and Bangla…

Sociale veiligheid in promotietrajecten staat nationaal en ook bij de Universiteit Leiden hoog op de agenda. Toch blijkt het in de praktijk lastig om structureel ruimte te maken voor dit thema, juist vanwege de complexe en hiërarchische verhoudingen binnen de academische wereld. Tijd om daar wat aan…

‘All the groceries, but not a fig for young workers’, read a banner during the occupation of Ahold’s headquarters in 1981. ‘For a long time, young workers were not taken seriously, but they managed to put themselves on the map’, says historian Rosa Kösters.

Five consortia within the Perspectief programme that include Leiden researchers have received funding to start their research projects. These projects focus on (further) developing technological innovations, with societal and economic impact at their core.

At the end of March, the Voice of the Child conference launched three films on children’s hearings in European family law courts to support judicial training in child-friendly justice. Researchers from Leiden University have developed a training manual to accompany courses in the EU.

Our constitutional democracy is under pressure. Politicians are increasingly bending rules and institutions to their will, often in small steps. PhD candidate Jorieke Manenschijn warns that through a combination of subtle changes we can cross a line without realising it.

What do bats do at night when they’re not hunting? Using tiny GPS trackers, Leiden researchers discovered that pond bats spend a substantial portion of the night resting – often outdoors. This surprising insight could change the way we protect them.

Which law governs the Strait of Hormuz? Under international law, both Iran and the US are expected to comply with the ‘Constitution for the Oceans’. In practice, the situation is more complicated, explains maritime law expert Hilde Woker.

Even when a border has officially disappeared, it is still people who decide whether others may cross freely. This was also true for the Polish-German border, where PhD candidate Maryla Klajn spend six months conducting fieldwork.

Criminal law can reinforce social inequality. ‘People at the lower end of society are hit harder by criminal law in a range of different ways’, says Professor Marloes van Noorloos. ‘That has to change.’

While the Netherlands was in lockdown because of the coronavirus, PhD candidate Koen Rijpkema began his research into the same virus. In the lab, he developed molecules that can inhibit an important viral enzyme.

For a successful return to society, incarcerated individuals must work on their reentry during their sentence. Not all such individuals receive good reentry support. This is according to a report by Leiden criminologists.

Every six years, the research conducted at all law schools in the Netherlands is evaluated during a research evaluation. On 6 and 7 October, it was Leiden University’s turn to be evaluated. The aim of this ‘site visit’ is to allow the committee to get an idea of the faculty research climate, the research…

The human dimension must be brought back to the fore, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in response to the child benefits scandal. But how? A group of researchers – including Leiden psychologist Sandra van Dijk – have written a book offering practical suggestions. They presented the book to Rutte on 28…

Chen Wang has recently finished her doctoral research and will be defending her dissertation on May 13th. For her PhD she researched the lead in artefacts from ancient China, using isotope analysis to match them to their origins. She applied analytical methods to new contexts and used the data from…

Gaan vaders minder werken als andere vaders dat ook doen? Helpt betaald ouderschapsverlof hen om meer op te pakken in het huishouden? Hoe bepalend zijn sociale normen voor verschillen op de arbeidsmarkt? Onderzoeker Max van Lent gaat het uitzoeken.

The Leiden Ranking – Open Edition is completely transparent. The ranking compiled by the CWTS uses open data and publishes the algorithms that are used.

In the Philippines, Indigenous communities have been harvesting wild honey for centuries. A new chemical analysis of this honey now provides insights into the biodiversity of the region. ‘And an additional reason to protect the national tree properly,’ says lecturer Merlijn van Weerd of the Centre for…

Historian Seran de Leede delved into the life of Lie Alma (1909–1990), the courageous woman from the Dutch province of Drenthe who spoke out against fascism in the 1930s and remains a source of inspiration to this day.

Third-year Security Studies students tackle real-world security challenges for organisations such as Microsoft, the NCTV and Schiphol. From AI and human smuggling to international cooperation, they present their recommendations to professionals in the field.

On April 22, Lasse van den Dikkenberg defended his dissertation: Living with Flint. For this, he examined flint finds from the Rhine-Meuse Delta. These finds belong to the Vlaardingen culture, which existed here from 3400-2500 BC. His research revealed that import played a larger role in the Neolithic…

From 1967 to 1982, the United Nations undertook several peacekeeping operations in the Middle East. In his thesis from the Institute for History, Diego Salama examines how these operations were connected and their impact on the region.

Protest is a human right and an important way to hold the authorities to account. But how does the right to protest relate to academic freedom and the right to education?

A surprising amount of life grows, crawls and flutters around Leiden University’s buildings. During the Biodiversity Challenge – from 30 April to 2 July – the campus will turn into a research site, and you’ll be the researcher. Grab your phone, take a look around and record what you see.

To understand the universe as a whole, simulations on a cosmic scale are required. An international team of astrophysicists, led by Leiden University, is today making one of the largest cosmological datasets ever available for free. It comprises more than 2.5 petabytes of simulation data.

What happens when you let go of the traditional essay and instead invite creativity, imagination and experimentation? Honours College Law students found out with 'unessays', now showcased in an exhibition at the KOG.

Researcher Daan van der Vliet, together with colleagues from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Leiden University and Utrecht University, has discovered an important mechanism that may be linked to severe cases of multiple sclerosis (MS): the brain contains large numbers of abnormal immune…

Amidst the lathes and welding machines of the Fine Mechanics Department, Emiel Wiegers is working concentratedly on a metal cylinder. He and his colleagues design and construct components for researchers' set-ups. ‘We are a bunch of inventors who enjoy helping the researchers in our Faculty.’

During a visit, Queen Máxima spoke with researchers about projects exploring climate change, collections and culinary heritage.

Building a high-quality MRI scanner at the lowest possible cost. That was the challenge Thomas O’Reilly and Karina Soemarwoto set themselves. This year, they are selling their self-built MRI scanner to their first ten customers, with many more expected to follow soon. In doing so, they hope to make…

The valedictory lecture of former rector magnificus Hester Bijl was buried on Tuesday 12 May in the garden of the Kamerlingh Onnes Building (KOG). Where did this young, and slightly eccentric, university tradition come from?

Wie empathisch glimlacht om iemands geluk of fronst om iemands leed, stijgt in aantrekkingskracht. Andersom maakt glimlachen uit leedvermaak iemand niet minder aantrekkelijk. Roujia Feng promoveert 26 mei op onderzoek naar de sociale gevolgen van het uiten van (contra)empathische emoties.

Exam, paper, exam, paper. A familiar, though sometimes little unexciting, routine for students. That is why Film and Literary students Sietske de Haan and Wouter Dijkman decided to write a blog post for the course Interculturality. Their impressive achievement was rewarded with a publication on science…

From Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten to American ambassador Joseph Poplo, and from former defence minister Kajsa Ollongren to General Onno Eichelsheim, prominent figures attended the first Next Gen Security Conference in The Hague. ‘The Netherlands and Europe must take more responsibility for their…

Astronomers have measured the mass of a dormant, supermassive black hole in the early universe for the first time. Thanks to a combination of the James Webb Space Telescope and a natural cosmic magnifying glass, researchers were able to weigh the black hole directly based on its gravity.

From children’s birthday parties to international ambassadors, the Old Observatory attracts a wide range of visitors. Student coordinator Sanne van Beek connects visitors and students, ensuring everyone — from five to sixty-five — learns something about the stars.

Since 1 October, Sabina Chiță has been working as a coach for first-generation students in Physics. But who are first-generation students, and why might they need a coach? Six questions to Sabina Chiță.

Climate action is often framed as urgent and necessary. But on the ground, it can also unsettle lives in unexpected ways. LUC researcher Bernardo Almeida explores in his VENI research, sponsored by NWO, what happens on land rights of vulnerable groups when climate responses meet fragile governance s…

Always losing your way, even in places you’ve been visiting for years? You may have Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD). Psychologists from Leiden are investigating this relatively little-known condition at the Lowlands festival. ‘The ideal place to study getting lost.’

The European Space Agency (ESA) has officially adopted ARRAKIHS as a scientific mission, confirming the target launch date of 2030. Matthieu Schaller is part of the Science Team: ‘I look forward to learning more about the dark part of our cosmos.’

For the second time this academic year, Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman visited The Hague. Addressing a packed lecture theatre in our new Spui building, he spoke to students, staff and professionals about the tension between economic advice and political decision-making.

Reaching the end of the academic year, we look back fondly on the symposia, conferences and events that our faculty hosted in the previous months. One such symposium marked the end of the 5-year long research project ‘Putting life into Late Neolithic houses: investigating domestic craft and subsistence…

As a student, you’re expected to write papers and collaborate. But how do you do that if you’ve never been taught? Thanks to the Grassfields grant, the Science Skills team can scale up its Skill’Ed project and finally provide students with structured support in essential skills.

From loading the dishwasher to packing the car: good spatial ability is always useful. How do children develop this skill in primary school? Researchers from Leiden University and TU Delft are investigating this. ‘We want to create a meaningful toolbox for teachers.’