The Institute of Political Science is a vibrant department with nearly 70 academic staff in Leiden and nearby The Hague.

Tomography is a powerful technique to non-destructively determine the interior structure of an object.Usually, a series of projection images (e.g.\ X-ray images) is acquired from a range of different positions.

PhD candidates carry out a programme of independent research, leading to a PhD thesis in typically 4 years.

PhD candidates carry out a programme of independent research and additional (limited) course work, culminating in production of a PhD thesis in typically 4 years.

Are you thinking about studying Biomedical Sciences? Learn more and watch the video of our live presentation below.

The Science Council is an advisory committee to the Board of the Institute and consists of the full and associate professors of the Institute.

eLaw colleagues Bart Custers and Helena Ursic have a new publication in the peer-reviewed journal The European Data Protection Law Review.

This dissertation presents a legal geographical analysis of the heritage laws of the independent English-speaking islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Are you thinking about studying Computer Science? Learn more and watch the videos.

Are you thinking about studying Political Science? Watch the introduction video’s and learn more!

In Microbial Sciences, we perform multidisciplinary research to understand the structure and function of microbes at all levels of biological organization, from small molecules and cellular structures at atomic resolution to multicellular communities.

By analysing the metabolism using big data techniques, we can identify health risks at an earlier stage. Thomas Hankemeier, professor of Analytical Biosciences at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, explains how that works.

Jurist Gineke Wiggers wants to predict the expected impact of legal articles. Carel Stolker, Rector of the University and, like Wiggers, a legal specialist, is enthusiastic about the research. ‘A big data project like this will help us establish the effect of our work on society.’

Leiden University will be recording a brand-new series of podcasts in 2019: Science Shots. Our top scientists will talk about their research in less than 15 minutes. Tip: something to enjoy on the train journey between Leiden and The Hague, our two University cities!

The Department of Archaeological Sciences seeks to achieve the highest standards of excellence in science-driven education and archaeological research across the globe and across all periods.

Mirjam van Reisen favours big data built up from local inputs in developing countries and suitable for local use. The new Professor of Computing for Society at Leiden's Faculty of Science connects data science with development sociology. Inaugural lecture 10 March.

The mission of the Plant Sciences cluster is to contribute to the sustainable production of high-quality crops, flowers and high-value bio-based products, and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of biodiversity in natural ecosystems. This is realised by generating fundamental knowledge…

Starting this academic year (2016-2017) Maartje van der Woude, Professor of Sociology of Law at the Van Vollenhoven Institute will organize the Leiden Socio-Legal Series (LSLS).

Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany defended her thesis on 16 September 2014.

The master’s specialisation Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences and Science Communication & Society at Leiden University is a two-year programme which combines research training in chemistry with one in techniques of communication.

There is an increasing amount of attention on EU and its Member States contributions to implementation of two landmark agreements: the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Agenda 2030 with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Absent from the current literature is an analysis of the political effect of…

With the emergence of new methods and technologies such as improved DNA analysis and big data, archaeological research has changed radically in recent decades. The researchers from the Department of Archaeological Sciences at the Faculty of Archaeology use new scientific knowledge to answer fundamental…

Data science and statistics are closely linked, says Spinoza laureate and Stochastics professor Aad van der Vaart. We talk with him about the big data hype, genome research and collaboration with other disciplines. ‘Statistics helps wherever data is not perfect.’

The research reported in this thesis is concerned with the knowledge development of a small sample of experienced science teachers in the context of a broad innovation in Dutch secondary education, including the introduction of a new syllabus on Public Understanding of Science.

PhD defence

The Netherlands has a lot of world-class speed skaters and footballers. Clever statistical analyses could help them perform even better. Leiden University is working on this together with Delft and Amsterdam.

Governments have increasing amounts of data at their disposal. How can big data be used in policymaking? And are governments ready to deal with all this data? That is what Sarah Giest, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Administration, is interested in.

In films kunnen de meest wonderlijke acties plaatsvinden. Maar zijn die acties in de 'echte' wereld ook mogelijk? En in hoeverre houden filmmakers ons voor de gek? Tijdens het Leiden International Film Festival komen film en wetenschap samen.

The two-year master’s programme in Computer Science at Leiden University offers seven specialisations ranging from AI to Bioinformatics and Data Science. The programme combines excellent theoretical teaching with possibilities for applied work with industrial relevance.

How to facilitate the translation of science into innovation

Most of the vast Tibetan literature was authored by monks. They were Buddhists par excellence, educated in a system in which Indic- and Indian-inspired texts played a pivotal role. What they wrote was primarily religious or philosophical in nature, but also extended to ‘secular’ topics. Through the…

Researchers from eLaw, the Center for Law and Digital Technologies, published a new book on EU data protection law.

On Friday 24th March, Prof. Amanda Perry-Kessaris (Kent Law School) ); who was here for the lecture ‘Exploring the economic life of law with sociological imagination, visual methods and experimental attitude’, Leiden Socio-Legal Lecture Series, as a part of ILS 2.0, gave a short workshop on data visualisation…

The minor Science, Business, and Innovation (previous name Science Based Business) will provide you with knowledge and skills in the area of management and entrepreneurship, with a focus on issues in technology-driven companies.

The research group Science Communication and Society has been physically within the Institute of Biology (IBL) since 2012 and has become a formal part of the institute in 2018. The mission of this group is understanding how science communication works to improve the interaction between science and s…

The research group Science Communication and Society aims to understand how science communication works to improve the interaction between science and society. Central themes are ‘Bridging the gap between experts and the general public’ and ‘Evaluating Science Communication’.

From 3-7 July 2023, we will organize a summer school for researchers who want to learn about communicating science to diverse audiences. The summer school is aimed at PhD students, postdocs and other early career researchers. This year we open our Summer School for all disciplines in science, including…

Do you like running? Then take part in the Leiden Science Run on The Leiden Science Run is a 4.44 km charity run at the Leiden Bio Science Park on 28 september 2019. In 2019 Leiden University will be 444 years old. This special birthday calls for a special celebration. That is why we have adjusted the…

The Citizen Science Lab supports researchers, citizens and societal organizations to generate new knowledge together. Explore this website to learn more about the Citizen Science Lab and projects in which you can participate.

Would you like to learn more about communicating your research with other audiences than the scientific community? The Science Communication and Society department from Leiden University is inviting young researchers (PhD, postdoc, or other early career) to join our Summer School about science communication…

The Citizen Science Lab brings together researchers, citizens and societal organizations to create new knowledge for science ánd society.

The aims of research and teaching within the Educational Sciences programme are to understand in how individuals develop and learn and to optimize education for all individuals.

OSCL is a learning community where anyone associated with Leiden University can learn and talk about open science practices. Example events are Open Science cafés, workshops, and walk-in-hours. The what Open science is an umbrella term for an approach to science that aims to make scientific…

Politics is about the authorised allocation of values: who gets what, when and how much? This question is relevant at many different levels, in many different places and in very different ways.

There are five institutes at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences:

The mission of science based business (SBB) connects the domains of science, business, and policy. Scientific research we focus on at Leiden in areas such as artificial intelligence promises to reshape our societies for the better. Translating science into positive societal impact however requires new…