Leiden University would like to express its concern about the proposed Hungarian higher education draft law, which, if adopted, would make the functioning of Central European University (CEU) in Budapest nearly impossible. These changes would endanger the academic freedom vital for CEU’s continued operation…

On 28 June, a group of 35 students (13 from Leiden) visited the law faculty as part of the Space Summer School, a 5-day course organised by the LDE Centre 'Space for Science and Society' and NL Space Campus.

Last year we organized a sustainability conference with much success together with the co-participation bodies of Leiden University.

Last February, Leiden University Libraries (UBL) acquired a rare Chinese manuscript dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Three Chinese Studies students got the opportunity to decipher the edict (dated 1582) during their internships. In this UBLpodcast they share their findings.

The Lorentz Center has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to renovate the common room, the place where researchers can exchange new ideas. The common room will be renovated in the autumn of 2016, at a cost of € 15,000.

Playing a game, picking a cutting for your room or just having a cup of coffee: it is all possible in the new Humanities Living Room in the Matthias de Vrieshof. From Wednesday 17 May, staff and students will be able to meet informally and socialise here.

For almost 25 years, ‘de Handboeken Veiligheid’ have been a phenomenon. Who does not have a copy on their bookshelf? In 2024, the series will be celebrating its 25th anniversary and next Monday, the Public Prosecution Handbook will be presented: the latest volume in the series. Erwin Muller talks about…

The humanities consist of various academic fields. But what is the common ground of all these different academics and students? And why does their work matter so much in today’s world? Watch the trailer of Humans of Humanties, the new documentary film about the Leiden Faculty of Humanities. Will you…

Who wouldn’t want their own episode of Het Klokhuis? Researchers Milica Nikolic and Chris Riddell are in the running for the Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs, which aims to introduce a broad and young audience to scientific research in the Netherlands.

Mario van der Stelt (Head of the department of Molecular Physiology at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry) has received the Young Investigator Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society during the annual meeting of the society in Montreal, Canada. The Young Investigator Award was given…

Ten years after its introduction, the controversial idea of Erik Verlinde on gravity is still a hotly debated topic, and is still surrounded by a cloud of scepticism. Scepticism in which the media have played a major role, theoretical physicst Koenraad Schalm says in an article by NWO. ‘The media simply…

Marokko zegt het contact met de Duitse regering op. Volgens Marokkaanse media is ministeries en andere overheidsinstanties per brief gevraagd direct de samenwerking op te schorten met de Duitse ambassade in Marokko.

Coming spring, Professor Tom Lubensky from the University of Pennsylvania will be the 64th Lorentz Professor at the department of Theoretical Physics. He is a pioneer in the field of theoretical soft matter physics and winner of the prestigious Buckley Condensed Matter Prize. During his stay in Leiden…

The new CML minor Sustainable Development started on Monday 7 September 2009 with an official opening by the Vice-Rector Prof. Rietje van Dam.

Power and money are not enough for big tech entrepreneurs who are investing billions in digital nations. Reijer Passchier, Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Rule of Law (OU) and Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law, and Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, share their concerns…

Last Tuesday, the Herta Mohr building was filled with secondary school pupils. During the profile choice afternoon, they were introduced to various aspects of language studies. 'It’s really exciting to be here.'

From 1 August 2020, smoking on the premises of Leiden University will be prohibited. Dutch law obliges institutions of higher education to enforce a full smoking ban on their premises as of that date.

At this moment, we are experiencing issues with the book lending system. Our administrators are actively investigating the problem.

The Yearbook for Dutch Book History publishes Dutch and English-language articles on the book history of the Low Countries in all time periods. For the 31st edition of the Yearbook, to be published in 2024, we welcome in particular contributions concerning the theme ‘Controversy’. Deadline: 1 March…

From 25 December till 3 January, all University buildings will be closed. The University Library and a number of faculty libraries will have limited opening hours.

What's it like studying abroad? Noor Ismail and Charlot Oltmans share their experiences in videos made in Hhangzhou and Oslo.

The latest podcast by Aukje Nauta, Professor by Special Appointment Enhancing Individuals in a Dynamic Work Context, for PeoplePowerFM.

In April, Al-Babtain visiting professor Maribel Fierro will teach four masterclasses at Leiden University on "Culture and society in the medieval Islamic west: The process of Islamization". These masterclasses will take place online and are open to all students. Registration deadline: 28 March 2021.

Bijna vijf jaar na de laatste ontmoeting hopen we opnieuw samen te komen met alle medioneerlandici. Ditmaal wordt de Dag van de Medioneerlandistiek georganiseerd in Nijmegen door de Radboud Universiteit, op vrijdag 24 maart. Het thema luidt: ‘De medioneerlandistiek en de wereld van nu’.

The Yearbook for Dutch Book History publishes Open Access articles in the Dutch and English language on all aspects of the book history of the Low Countries. For the 32nd edition of 2025, they particularly welcome contributions within the theme of “Books across borders.”

Last week Anne Helder successfully defended her PhD-thesis. We were all joyous to celebrate this day and achievement with young Dr. Helder.

Last Friday, the LUCL runners have run the Leiden Singelloop – this time joining forces with the rest of the Humanities team celebrating the 444th birthday of our University. Thanks to all colleagues who participated and supported us. We’ll run again next year, and everyone’s invited to join!

The Index of Middle English Prose, of which twenty-three volumes have been published since 1984, now has an online presence at imep.lib.cam.ac.uk. Thanks to the kind co-operation of Cambridge University Library and of the publishers, Boydell & Brewer, the indexes to all the volumes are now available…

The Sustainable Development minor now has its own Facebook page. Do you want to stay up to date on all activities pertaining to the minor? If so, sign up as a fan by clicking the

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Archaeology/Egyptology programme for this year comes in a new form. It is all-digital; consisting of virtual museum tours, Arabic classes, and Egyptology lectures!

Viabundus welcomes 10 minute-presentations about all kinds of research that could be performed with the aid of the Viabundus data, from experienced as much as early career researchers and students. Deadline: 9 September 2022.

On 3 December 2021, the conference: Lessons from Afghanistan was organized jointly by LUCIR (Leiden University’s Centre for International Relations), ISGA (Institute of Security and Global Affairs) and GTGC (Global Transformations and Global Challenges Initiative), all at Leiden University, The Neth…

Robots, nervous looks and above all, lots of fun. On November 16, children up to 16 years old came together for the MakeX competition. With this robot contest, in which children program their own robots, children are made enthusiastic about technology and programming.

On Wednesday November 28th, the Physics education program organized its second Bachelor Project fair.

The KNIR organises up to three Colloquia each year with no more than fifteen participants. All university lecturers working at an NWIB University can apply for this. The selection of candidates focuses on the quality of the application, on motivation and on the relationship with KNIR, Rome and/or Italy.…

On June, Wednesday 27th nine of our ALGANT master students received their diploma. Herewith a very successful ALGANT year has come to an end.

Farewell lunch Stijn Aerts On 25 May, we organised a farewell lunch with a sjoel competition for Stijn, who left the institute on 1 June. Dear Stijn, it has been a great pleasure working with you, and we will surely miss you. We wish you all the best for the future!

On Tuesday, 16 December 2025, a disruption occurred in the functionality of Mediasite. The supplier has been informed and is currently investigating the cause of the disruption.

When general laws and regulations no longer fit individual situations, can customisation offer a solution? In the special issue ‘Maatwerk' (customisation) of Boom Bestuurskunde, researchers have tackled the questions that customisation brings to public organisations. The symposium ‘Maatwerk onder maatschappelijke…

Developing a digital guest lecture for high school students. Jan Sleutels was immediately enthusiastic when he got asked to do this. The end result? Together with his colleague Maarten Lamers, he created the guest lecture 'Thinking about Artificial Intelligence'.

Soil bacteria can produce a wealth of antibiotics that are new to us, claims Gilles van Wezel, Professor of Molecular Biotechnology at the Institute of Biology Leiden. His research group has developed a method that can rapidly identify and produce these unknown compounds.

Thanks to an extremely successful crowdfunding campaign, the Leiden Law School now has a mock courtroom for Moot Court, the course that teaches students advocacy skills. ‘The more realistic it is, the better. Then students grow into their role.’

On 7 February, the first co-creation event of the Expanding (Event) Horizons project took place at Leiden University. Nearly 30 educators, scientists and consultants from diverse backgrounds designed inclusive projects for engaging students from underrepresented minority groups with educational Science…

Grotius Centre in The Hague is located on the doorstep of international criminal courts and tribunals. In our teaching, we seek to benefit from this unique environment. Practitioners come to share their expertise in dialogue with our students, and we try to provide a platform where current practices…

Mrs. Dr. Constance (Stans) Eikelenboom passed away on Sunday, March 12th, at the age of 95. She was the founder of the 'Stans Award', a prize which every year has been given to the best student article of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML).

We take our worn, torn and unwanted clothes to the clothing bank, assuming they will get a second chance. But what exactly happens with all those textiles?

Graphene and other layered materials combine into completely new substances. Leiden physicists establish the ground rules for designing such materials by measuring how the layers in the stack interact. Publication on November 29 in Nature Communications.

The LUF International Study Fund (LISF) will make changes to its allocation process following an investigation into diversity in its grants policy. This investigation, which was carried out for the LISF by, among others, former committee member Mariska Kret and master’s student Marjolijn Wijnen, has…

If a pill containing no active ingredients still helps, this positive expectation is called a placebo effect. A negative expectation is called a nocebo effect. Both can be produced by verbal suggestions and conditioning. According to Andrea Evers’ research group, combining these is the most promising…