Leiden academics research the world around us and pass on their knowledge to future generations. Each with his or her individual expertise and personal fascination for a particular discipline, they are the public face of the University.

Although each Dutch university has its own culture and tradition, there are some practices that are common within the academic approach in the Netherlands. Four things you need to know about our academic culture:

Not one but two openings: the minister who defended her plans and many who emphasised the importance of standing together with the arts and social sciences: the opening of academic year 2019-2020 in Leiden was not without event.

From a white leather armchair, on which Barack Obama once sat, Dean Michiel Kreutzer opened the academic year. This time not with visitors, but completely corona-proof via a live stream. In a homely setting, Kreutzer spoke with several guests, including Covid-19 researcher Thomas Hankemeier and brand…

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…

Leiden University has an Open Access policy and a Copyright Information Office.

Leiden University policy requires researchers at to make all their Leiden affiliated peer-reviewed articles available.

The new academic year has started and with it education as well. Associate professor Dennis Claessen and Director of Education Han de Winde from the Institute of Biology Leiden devised an environmentally friendly introduction to the Leiden Bio Science Park for their students, with the help of Plastic…

It is advisable to open Dutch bank account once you move to The Hague (if you do not have one already), as it will allow you to get many other services such as a mobile phone contract, transportation, etc.

The English section at the Academic Language Centre offers numerous courses in Academic Skills. These courses are intended to train participants in the use of English writing and presenting skills in an academic context. The courses are aimed at BA students and MA students. In addition, we also offer…

Study information

The opening times of the Humanities buildings vary. The Lipsius building is opened during evenings as well, the other faculty buildings retain office hours.

We as Young Academy Leiden are continuously educating ourselves and are listening to the voices coming from our own university, especially the young academics.

The Academic Language Centre provides courses not only for students and staff of Leiden University and the Leiden University Medical Centre, but also to external clients. In addition to a wide range of group courses with open access, we offer custom-made and individual-focused language training…

eLaw offers various post-academic courses for legal professionals. These courses are aimed towards privacy and telecommunications law. See the links in this window for more information at the bureau Juridische PAO (Legal Post-Academic Education Office) of Leiden Law School.

After a turbulent Covid year, the well-being of our students and staff has the highest priority. How can we prevent physical and mental health problems? This was the key question at the Opening of the Academic Year in Pieterskerk in Leiden on 6 September.

Scientific integrity is an important element in the PhD trajectory, and is addressed in several different settings.

We develop open micro cavities to trap light in small volumes and thereby increase the interaction with intra-cavity emitters. Important aspects in this development are the optical penetration in the mirrors, coupling between optical modes, and scattering and clipping losses.

The EU fundamental right to ‘freedom of the arts and sciences’: exploring the limits on the commercialisation of academia (AFITE)

Can we bring novel treatment options to the clinic for UM patients with liver metastases?

Conference

Prospective employers sometimes request a certified copy of your diploma or your academic transcript. These certified copies can be provided by the University. You can also apply to the University for advice on having your diploma translated.

This accessible textbook uses key documents embedded in a clear narrative to chart the post-Cold War rise and decline of transatlantic relations. It provides a novel interpretive framework by proposing that the three decades between 1989 and 2020 represent a distinct ‘transatlantic era’.

Want to study abroad? Visit the Master’s Week of Leiden University and find which master's programme taught in Leiden or The Hague is right for you.

With a call for dialogue and collaboration, vice dean Bart de Smit kicked off the new academic year for the Faculty of Science on Tuesday 3 September. Theoretical physicist Carlo Beenakker outlined the possibilities of quantum as a disruptive technology.

For all problems related to presenting your research in English, the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences provides help in the form of an in-house Academic English Lecturer.

Study information

The Academic Language Centre has developed 19 video clips on Academic Skills. The videos are divided into three categories. Watch them below for a good start to your studies!

Travel back in time and learn about how the University has changed over the centuries.

Academic staff and students blog about their research and teaching.

Research into research improves the academic system. CWTS studies and evaluates the academic system in various ways. One way is to provide information on the productivity and impact of academics by documenting how many publications they or their universities produce and how often these publications…

Combining results from bibliometric analyses, a global sample of researcher opinions and case-study interviews, a new report reveals that although the benefits of open research data are well known, in practice, confusion remains within the researcher community around when and how to share research…

Lecture

In July 2022, Leiden hosted the ESOF conference.

In his lectures Aris Politopoulos combines archaeology with video games. He is one of the three nominees for the 2020 LUS Teaching Prize. 'A good teacher is always open to feedback from students.'

Arts and culture

Join the OSCL community to share your experience and learn more from others at Leiden University

The theme of the opening of this year’s academic year was peace and justice. With the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine, these are turbulent times. During the ceremony those present reflected on what the academic community and universities can mean in times of crisis and conflict.

Lecture

Leiden University offers support in the different stages of your research lifecycle.

One person can already make a difference, and if all students and academics were eco-friendly, the world would be a much more sustainable place. Plastic Soup Surfer Merijn Tinga opened the academic year in Leiden with this message.

Research Schools aim at collaboration between researchers from different faculties (interfaculty schools) and universities (interuniversity schools).

On 10 October 2019, Janneke Vink defended her thesis 'The Open Society and Its Animals'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. P.B. Cliteur.

Open online education has become a highly popular method of education. The current project aims to further our knowledge of how open online courses can be best designed to be consistent with human learning mechanics and facilitate meaningful learning.

Promotores: Prof.dr. B.R. Katzy, Prof.dr. K. Sailer (Munich University)