Fungal food spoilage often starts with a contamination with spores. Experimental data strongly indicate the existence of subpopulations of spores with different levels of resistance to preservation methods.

The principal aim of this research is to explore the confrontation between voice and electronics. These are often seen as being radically different from one another and many characteristics seem to be in opposition between them. However, they also have characteristics in common and they can influence…

How do we experience electronic music? How does electronic music operate on perceptual, cognitive and affective levels? What are the common concepts activated in the listener’s mind when listening to electronic music? Why and how are these concepts activated?

Promotor: H.V.J. Linnartz

On 14 January 2021, Joost Westerweel defended his thesis 'Lokale democratische innovatie'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. G. Boogaard and Prof. M.J. Cohen.

The symposium is open to all registered participants and consists of a one-day programme and a poster session.

Does suffering suffice? Andrei Poama, Assistant Professor at Leiden University, and Paul C. Bauer, research fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, did an experimental assessment of desert retributivism. Their resulsts were published on April 20 on PLOS ONE.

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), are increasing in prevalence due to the aging population. Despite extensive study, these diseases are still not fully understood and the lack of personalised treatment options that can target the cause of the diseases, rather than the symptoms,…

Promotors: Prof.dr. P.G.L. Klinkhamer, Prof.dr. P.M. Brakefield

In this thesis, we show how MRFM can usefully contribute to the field of condensed-matter.

Antimicrobial drugs constitute a fundamental part of modern medicine. The global rise in antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat to global health.

Promotores: E. van Dijk, G.R. de Snoo. Co-promotor: H. Staats

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Hecke

A Diachronic Perspective on the Aegean

The specialisation consists of 120 European Credit Transfer System (EC) points and includes mandatory courses and electives (60 EC) and two research projects (60 EC).

Human language is constantly evolving with its linguistic structure being shaped by language users at both individual and population levels. Focusing on the interplay between processes of language acquisition and communicative need in shaping human languages, this thesis introduces a novel computational…

The Graduate School of Science offers PhD programmes spanning the entire spectrum of science from Mathematics to Environmental Science.

Promotores: Prof.dr. J. Kuiper, Prof.dr. P.H.A. Quax

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In human cells, a meter-long DNA is condensed inside a micrometer-sized cell nucleus. Simultaneously, the genetic code must remain accessible for its replication and transcription to functional proteins.

Measurement of brain activity by external electrodes (EEG).

We aim to unravel the molecular mechanisms involved in the transformation of eukaryotic cells by Agrobacterium.

This thesis is a collection of experimental attempts to enhance photoluminescence of fluorescent molecules and quantum dots with single gold nanorods (GNRs) and relevant applications.

This thesis describes the role of pollution, specifically neonicotinoid insecticides, as an actor of the ongoing biodiversity decline.

Promotor: G.F.A. Kersten, W. Jiskoot, Co-promotor: B. Metz

The current project aims to revive the idea that sound inventories are structured according to a small set of universal principles by applying insights from current phonological theory and by making use of modern database technologies and data assessing methodologies.

Advanced mass spectrometry of glycosphingolipids takes the central stage in this thesis. Investigations focus on characterization of glycosphingolipid metabolism in health and disease with emphasis to the detection and accurate quantitation of known and so far unknown glycosphingolipids and closely…

In most applications, electrocatalysts exhibit a large surface area to volume ratio, for example using nanoparticles.

'Re-territorialising skills? Insights from ethnography on solidarity-economy food activism' is written by Cristina Grasenni and published in the Special Feature: Original Article Agriculture (re‐)territorialisation: Balancing the promotion of local products and international trade in Europe.

Promotor: T. H. Oosterkamp

Empirical Legal Studies in Leiden focused on building an interdisciplinary community of legal scholars and social scientists who collaboratively explore legal questions on the intersection of law and behaviour using a variety of methods.

Are you a professional and do you want to reap the benefits of the educational experimental garden? Explore the possibilities for ‘mixed classrooms’ here. You also have the opportunity to organise your own education together with the Honours Academy.

Assessing the risks of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) solely on the basis of experimental assays is time-consuming, resource intensive, and constrained by ethical considerations (such as the principles of the 3Rs of animal testing). The adoption of computational toxicology in this field is a high p…

On Friday 7 March 2025 Adam Knight successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

Catalysis is of extreme relevance in the production of everyday materials and plays a central role in many aspects of our life.

What is the neural basis of social decision-making across childhood, adolescence and adulthood and what are the developmental patterns in terms of behavior and brain activation?

In the Master’s programme in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences of Leiden University you are trained for a scientific career in drug research and development.

Organic amendments applied to agricultural fields can partially offset our carbon emissions to the atmosphere and improve the resilience of agriculture to the effects of climate change. Driving these benefits, however, are complex and poorly understood interactions between organic amendment properties,…

Thirty years ago, mutations in the BRCA1 gene were first linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, establishing a genetic basis for cancer development.

Promotor: J. Aarts

On 1 October 2019, Emile Cammeraat defended his thesis 'Economic Effects of Social Protection'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. K.P. Goudswaard and Prof. P.W.C. Koning.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting millions of people world-wide.

Honorata Mazepus, Assisstant Professor at Leiden University, researched the topic of Madisonian Judgments in Five Cultures, together with three other authors.

This book takes you through the process of writing an empirical thesis, step-by-step, with a (primary) focus on experimental research since that is common in this field. By breaking down the steps of experimental research in chronological order and including tips in each step, the authors hope to give…

In Vietnam, foreign trade and culture are pervasive. Therefore, the need arises for students to learn more about cultural differences and intercultural communication. This dissertation focuses on improving training in intercultural communication in Vietnamese higher education.

A new research line is the development of liquid biopsy fingerprints to predict early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stage in human in readily accessible body fluids in human (in collaboration with: Dr. Geert-Jan Groeneveld, CHDR; Prof. Elga de Vries, Free University Medical Center; and others).

Green hydrogen is produced via a process called water electrolysis. During electrolysis water is split into oxygen and hydrogen.

Promotor: Carel J. ten Cate, Co-Promotor: Hans W. Slabbekoorn

In this thesis, the focus lies on studying glucocorticoid receptor dynamics in living cells with the aim of understanding how this transcription factor finds its DNA target sites to regulate transcription.

The elementary excitations of magnets are called spin waves, and their corresponding quasi-particles are known as magnons. The rapidly growing field of Magnonics aims at using them as information carriers in a new generation of electronic devices, (almost) free of electric currents.