Buried beneath a Suffolk forest, archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known human-made fire. A fire that was sparked 400,000 years ago. This stunning UK discovery rewrites our evolutionary story, pushing fire-making back by more than 350,000 years. Baked earth, heat-scarred tools and the world’s…

Mark Klaassen and Peter Rodrigues have published a journal article on the role of the best interests of the child in EU family reunification law in the European Journal of Migration and Law. They conclude that even though the Court of Justice of the European Union has often referred to the best interests…

Between 5 and 8 September, PhD Candidate Esteban Szmulewicz attended the 45th annual Conference of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), which was organised in close cooperation with The Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb and other key partners.

The annual New Year Lecture for Honours College Law took place on Friday 17 January. This year’s speaker was Barbara Zwirs, author and former assistant professor in criminology at Leiden Law School. Her lecture got 2025 off to an inspiring start.

We are glad to present our new research report on Exploring the Frontiers of International Law (EFIL). International Law has traditionally been one of the flagship areas of the Leiden Law School. The report provides a taste of our rich research agenda in international law.

On Friday March 25, student Pieter Pierrot will present his Media Technology MSc graduation thesis work. In 20-25 minutes Pieter will present his project, followed by 10-15 minutes public discussion. Everyone is invited to attend. The presentation is in English.

On December 13th & 14th harpist Maria Cleary will defend her thesis 'The “harpe organisée”, 1720-1840. Rediscovering the lost pedal techniques on harps with a single-action pedal mechanism' to obtain her doctoral degree.

'How can public leadership contribute sustainably to solving societal problems?'

Springer Water series published the conference proceedings of the International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.

Stefano Bellucci, university lecturer at the Institute for History, has been awarded a grant by the EAP for a pilot project for the preservation and digitisation of the workers’ files of the Takoradi Railways (now part of the Ghana Railways Corporation).

With the emergence of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it’s easier than ever to share information. Including disinformation. During his PhD computer scientist Xueqin Chen developed a new way to recognise fake news and predict how messages spread within online social networks…

This collection explores how immersive technologies affect newsmaking and the positive and negative impacts they may have on journalistic norms, professional ethics, audience engagement, and data protection.

On the annual spring meeting of the Dutch Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Biopharmaceutics (NVKFB), Margreke Brill received the TOP Publication Award.

June 6th and 7th, the Institute of Public Administration hosted a seminar on the Challenges for public sector employees caused through the increasing demands that their work environment poses.

The first results of the “Policing European Metropolises project” (PEMP) that associate Professor Elke Devroe and Professor P. Ponsaers launched in April 2013 are now published. Having been the referent for The Netherlands and Belgium in the Urbis project (Leonardo programme), the project focuses on…

The stadtholder’s court in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands has long been underestimated. Real courts and the associated court culture were to be found elsewhere in Europe. PhD candidate Quinten Somsen is trying to reverse this image. ‘The stadtholder’s court was actually very lively.’

The Convenors of the Standing Group on Interest Groups and the ECPR 2018 Section Chairs, have announced the winners of the best paper awards.

Ilektra Antonaki has published her book ‘Capital, Market and the State - Reconciling Free Movement of Capital with Public Interest Objectives’. The book is based on her doctoral dissertation, which she defended cum laude in September 2019, at Leiden University.

In a world beset with war, climate problems and skyrocketing energy prices, it is good to have some 'slack time' now and then. That was Dean Mark Rutgers' message at the Faculty of Humanities' New Year reception.

Researchers Wim van Noort, Sandra Groeneveld, Marieke van der Hoek, Jelmer Schalk en Joris van der Voet published a book on public organizations.

Metabolomicshas emerged as an important discipline to study molecular and cellular processes in living cells and organisms with the ultimate aim to obtain an answer to a given biological/clinical question.

Following the conference of the 20th Austrian European Law Day in September 2021 at the University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz, the academic papers of the conference have now been published in book form. The book contributions include a chapter by Christa Tobler: Christa Tobler, 'Finally Brexit - Alternative…

On Friday 9 November 2018, the long-awaited Public Affairs Alumni Event was held. It coincided with the celebration for the 15th edition of the Public Affairs course programme.

Thursday 12 July the first Leiden Leadership Lunch took place. In the boardroom in Wijnhaven there was an informal lunch with researchers, students and managers from the field. Science and practice found each other around the theme leadership and added public value.

Carlotta Rigotti, postdoctoral researcher at eLaw, has just published her new monograph, The Regulation of Sex Robots: Gender and Sexuality in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.

How is Leiden University doing in these times of corona, and what kind of new academic year can we expect? Rector Carel Stolker was interviewed by Dutch broadcasting companies Omroep West, Sleutelstad FM and JortCall.

Several Spanish news outlets have published interviews with Associate Professor Eric Storm about his new book Nationalism.

A portrait of the complex historical process of over 500 years of European colonialism in the New World.

20 Professionals have successfully completed the Centre for Professional Learning (CPL) course ‘Public Affairs’ this week, congratulations! The course consists out of five modules with different themes and helps professionals to (continue to) practice influence in a dynamic environment by gaining more…

How did the mythical kings of ancient Persia live? In this podcast, we delve into the Shahnameh, also known as the Book of Kings.

Alumnus Wandile Madalane tells us how his time in Leiden has made it easier for him to engage with renowned figures and how he does NOT miss the rain.

As a critical commemoration of its centenary, this book presents a mosaic of one hundred carefully curated fragments by expert authors, shedding light on politics, economy, society, culture, gender, and arts in a hundred years of Turkey.

Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) are essential for modern healthcare delivery, yet their development faces significant challenges including heterogeneous data formats, regulatory compliance, and the growing demand for AI-driven decision support.

In this book, Lydie Cabane examines the history of disaster management in South Africa.

Aluminium-based adjuvants, such as aluminium hydroxide and aluminium phosphate, are well-known for their immune-stimulating properties.

Exploring the language of the lower classes in the nineteenth century

A comprehensive analysis of the state of play, the design of monitoring mechanisms, and creation of a toolbox of support measures.

The meaning of the Swifterbant Culture for the process of neolithisation in the western part of the North European Plain (4900-3400 BC)

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This project has two main aims: I. Determine when novelty promotes fear extinction. II. Discover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects.

In response to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide adopted a variety of strategies that include not just preventive or mitigation strategies adopted to 'flatten the curve', but also interventions aiming to mitigate economic and social impacts of the pandemic.