ERC StG SAFE and SOUND has the ambition to connect the policy cycle with data generated in robot testing zones to support evidence-based policymaking for robot technologies.

Life Sciences Artificial Intelligence Data Science

One of the three long-term research interests of our group concerns the Transformation of the Roman World (c AD 450-900).

Analysis of neuroimaging data requires multiple steps where statistics play a crucial role. The MRI methods research group develops new statistical methods that are accurate, transparent and easy to use.

How can theories about modern disinformation help to understand how Roman documentary fictions functioned?

People in Asia increasingly feel the need for a strong identity. This is the consequence of developments such as globalisation and the realisation that Asian countries such as China and India are becoming new world powers. Professor Hilde De Weerdt studies how political ideas and national identity spread…

You can find the Digital Lab on the ground floor of the Huizinga building (room: 0.09) on the Leiden University campus in Leiden. The Digital Lab is part of a collection of Humanities labs designed for staff and students who require a place to work, experiment, and find support for their digital res…

In this dissertation (titled: Exploring the Synergies between Transfer in Reinforcement Learning and Procedural Content Generation) we explore how the two research fields named in the title, namely Transfer in Reinforcement Learning (TRL) and Procedural Content Generation (PCG) can synergize togethe…

A neural network mimics how our brain works. Evolutionary algorithms use the principle of natural selection to solve complex problems. This kind of 'natural computing' is being used to improve the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or the production of steel.

Where you end up depends on the chosen study direction, your own skills and interests.

Optimally solving real-world expensive Black-Box Optimization (BBO) problems w.r.t. real-world constraints, such as wall-clock time and computational costs, is extremely difficult and tedious.

Where you end up depends on the chosen study direction, your own skills and interests.

We always have several ongoing studies running in our labs. Below you can find information about each one.

A catalyst: normally a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction, without adding molecules to this reaction. Scientists from the group of Prof. Marc Koper of Leiden University and Prof. Yang Shao-Horn of MIT now discovered that in specific reactions that need oxygen, catalysts called metal oxides…

Finding solutions for economically and socially relevant problems in digital data security. That is what Nele Mentens, Professor of Applied Cryptography & Data Security at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), wants to achieve. On 1 June she was appointed to contribute to the institute…

Chemical biologists from Leiden, led by Dr Mario van der Stelt, have discovered substances that can reduce inflammation processes in the brain. This is a first step in the development of potential medicines for the treatment of brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Published in Proceedings…

Op papier in acht dagen duidelijkheid over asiel, maar in de praktijk duurt de IND-procedure gemiddeld 67 weken. De IND wil de procedure versnellen, mede door nieuwe Europese regels die in juni in werking treden. Mark Klaassen, universitair docent migratierecht duidt de zaak in een uitzending van Ni…

Na de informele top in het Belgische kasteel van Alden Biesen wil de Europese Unie vaker gebruikmaken van zogeheten kopgroepen via het instrument van enhanced cooperation om besluitvorming te versnellen. In een interview voor Het Financieele Dagblad analyseert Joris Larik (Leiden University College…

Peter Slort is the highly driven portfolio holder for Diversity with the Dutch National Police. Since November 2016 he has been spreading the importance of diversity throughout the police organisation.

Natalia Grincheva (2020). Museum Diplomacy in the Digital Age. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-8153-6999-8, 164 pp., £27.99 (paperback).

Lecture, Austrian Studies Fund Lunch Talk

As of 1 September, Masja van Meteren will stop as PhD Dean at Leiden Law School. She looks back on a great learning experience with many rewards.

Leiden University has taken eighth place in this year’s SustainaBul, the sustainability ranking for universities and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. It was in 18th place last year.

Biology student Britt van Kasterop has received a Holland Society Young Talent Award for her excellent results in the first year of study. The online awards ceremony took place on 30 November.

To foster interfaculty collaborations and explore common ground for working interdisciplinary on health-related themes in Leiden and beyond, the Leiden University Medical Anthropology Network has been set up.

What would happen if families with little money were to receive an extra amount every month with no conditions attached? Would it help with their worst financial problems? In order to find out, the municipality of Amsterdam will conduct an experiment with 300 families over the next two years. During…

For most, it had been a while since they had seen each other: about thirty BA International Studies alumni who met up at Cafe Luden for a reunion on July 6. And, now that the BA programme has existed for seven years, there were some people who had never even met each other. 'What year did you start,…

Speed skating coach and human movement scientist Jac Orie has been capturing all details about the performance of 'his' skaters for fifteen years. Thanks to data scientist Arno Knobbe, who calculates the collected data in new ways, Orie can train his team even smarter in the run-up to the Olympic Winter…

On 31 January 2014 Professor Willem Heiser (Psychology, Statistics and Data Theory) was awarded the distinction of Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion. After his farewell lecture he received the royal honour for his exceptional academic, social and administrative achievements.

Since the start of the Corona crisis, several COVID-19 related research and teaching projects were started at LACDR. The computational and teaching activities started right away, as well as a large-scale metabolomics screening program by Thomas Hankemeier’s group. Other experimental activities are still…

Willemijn Heeren has, together with dr. Lei He (Department of Linguistics, Tübingen & Center for Forensic Phonetics and Acoustics, Zürich), received a research grant from the International Association for Forensic Phonetics and Acoustics to start a pilot project on “Between-speaker variability in dynamic…

On Thursday 12 June 2013 , Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, gave the first Europa lecture entitled: 'Poland, the Netherlands and the European Union - Common Challenges'.

Subtle changes in eye appearance can influence how people perceive others and affect their generosity. Articles from PsyPost and The Washington Post highlighted two experimental studies in which psychology researchers from Leiden University, including Mariska Kret, explored this phenomenon.

On 11-13 November, Dr. Joris Larik, Assistant Professor for Comparative, EU, and International Law at LUC The Hague, took part in the inaugural Paris Peace Forum. The Forum is a new annual gathering focused on tackling global challenges through international cooperation launched by French President…

Scientists have detected a neutrino with the highest energy ever measured. Leiden physicists Maarten de Jong and Dorothea Samtleben were involved in this project, which was widely covered in newspapers and online media last week.

The Embassy of Ireland in the Netherlands and Leiden University's GTGC proudly presented the joint event ‘Building the League of Nations and the International Labour Organisation’.

The article that was published on 21 January 2020 claims that chip maker ASML wants to be able to export to China but has been unable to obtain the necessary permits. Last summer, the application by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) was suddenly frozen after pressure from the USA, according…

Leiden archaeologist José Joordens has been awarded a Veni grant to develop her research on the role of climate change in early hominin evolution.

The British House of Commons International Trade Committee quoted Dr. Joris Larik, Assistant Professor of Comparative, EU and International Law at Leiden University College The Hague, in its report on the “Continuing application of EU trade agreements after Brexit”.

Following a series of diplomatic catastrophes and human rights violations in the country, Nicaragua has left the Organization of American States (OAS) on 19 November 2023. Unlike Brexit, where the decision to leave the EU was based on the famous 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum,…

Aleydis Nissen was awarded the René Cassin Thesis Prize 2021. The René Cassin Foundation - International Institute of Human Rights organises the competition. This Prize is awarded to the best PhD theses on human rights.

On 31 January 2025, Leiden University participated in the Dutch National Rounds of the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the world’s oldest and largest moot court competition, featuring more than 800 teams from over 100 countries and jurisdictions.

The LUC academic staff are involved in many projects because next to their teaching, they are also doing academic research within their fields of expertise. What follows is a short update of some of the special achievements of our staff.