Hans van den Berg, CEO of Tata Steel NL, is in the eye of the storm. He continues to believe in connection, debate and knowledge that will make green steel possible.

Climate change is a challenge for both current and future generations. New biological resources have to be developed in order to meet the demand for energy as well as the demand for food.

The research that is united in the Liveable Planet programme, touches upon a wide range of aspects of human life. The goal is to deepen and expand the scope and to connect more researchers. The following case studies are examples of current research projects.

Are you engaged in society and interested in social issues? Study the Bachelor's in Public Administration in The Hague and learn how to analyse and solve complex challenges such as the housing crisis and energy transition, right in the administrative heart of the Netherlands.

Ludo Block wrote the eleventh chapter of the book 'Post-Crimea Shift in EU-Russia Relations: From Fostering Interdependence to Managing Vulnerabilities'. His chapter 'Business as Usual? Police Cooperation under a Cloud of Political Animosity' can be found on page 204 of the book.

Promotor: Huub J.M. de Groot, Co-promotor: Francesco Buda

From 20 June to 12 August 2011 a team from the Caribbean Research Group, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University and the St. Eustatius Centre for Archaeological Research (SECAR) under the direction of Dr. Grant Gilmore III, Dr. Menno Hoogland, Prof. Corinne Hofman and Dr. Alice Samson carried out…

Decentralized plug and play systems for energy production are the future picture of our society. Artificial photosynthetic systems are used for this purpose.

We explore the particle physics and quantum world at the time of the big bang.

Promotores: A.P. IJzerman, H.W.T. van Vlijmen

Leiden has a strong tradition in theoretical physics, thoroughly linked with experimental disciplines.

Are you eager to dive into a cutting-edge approach to innovation? Do you want to explore how frugality and frugal innovation can drive sustainability? And are you up for an international, real-life challenge? If so, this Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) minor on frugal innovation is for you!

Can bacteria be engineered to convert methanol into valuable chemicals with high efficiency?

Understanding how nature captures and transfers solar energy is essential both for elucidating biological photosynthesis and for guiding the design of artificial light-harvesting systems.

Fearing a trade-off with economic growth, countries feel discouraged to cut their CO2 emissions. But do the two really not go together? Environmental scientist Ranran Wang and her colleagues investigated the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions in 73 countries from 1970 to 2016. Wang:…

The Europe Hub network currently spans over 60 researchers across 4 faculties at Leiden University. We especially foster thematic interfaculty research collaborations on a wide variety of societal challenges facing Europe. Here, you can read more about the four core thematic areas.

Our institute contributes to multiple curricula. 

Promotor: Prof.dr. E. Bouwman

James Shires, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University, co-authored this report on the GCC's cyber resilience with Joyce Hakmeh, Senior Research Fellow of Chatham House's International Security Programme.

LRead about how our students and staff are getting involved in making our university greener.

The adsorption of D2 and CO2 on catalyst surfaces is studied using a molecular beam in ultra-high vacuum.

The Leiden Science Run is a 5 km charity run at the Bio Science Park Leiden. It is a relay race organized by Leiden University in collaboration with the University Sports Centre.

Researchers at Leiden Observatory study the fundamental physics that creates structure in the Universe. These processes collect matter into galaxies and gas into stars. With the use of powerful telescopes and advanced calculations and computer simulations, Leiden astronomers seek to understand the origin,…

How might we include circularity into the models often used in IPCC reporting (in technical language, how can IAMs, dMFA models and CGE models be integrated?) What are possible futures for global resource use and what are the consequences for greenhouse gas emissions in these scenarios?

Promotor: H.J.M. de Groot

This is the Board of Advisors of CompaRe.

Urban, Food, Water, Biodiversity, Resources and Energy: these are the main research topics of the Institute of Environmental Sciences. We always strive to be a global leader in our field. And make a real impact with both our research programmes.

To design the ideal water oxidation catalyst, understanding of the catalytic mechanism and decomposition pathways is essential.

The research described in this thesis focused on the preparation of S/N functionalized carbene ligands and their transition metal complexes, and the exploration of their application as electrocatalysts for proton reduction.

M.T.M. Koper, Co-promotor: D.G.H. Hetterscheid

An accurate description of reactive scattering of molecules on metal surfaces often requires the modeling of energy transfer between the molecule and the surface phonons. Although ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) can describe this energy transfer, AIMD is at present untractable for reactions with…

Photocatalysis has emerged as a powerful tool for enabling challenging transformations in organic synthesis. This thesis explores the development of several photocatalytic reactions designed to form carbon-heteroatom bonds from less-functionalized precursors.

The electrochemical hydrogenation reaction is an alternative approach for the transformation of unsaturated bonds without the use of flammable dihydrogen gas.

This thesis highlights the significant role of surface geometry and oxidation state in determining CO adsorption behavior on copper surfaces.

The Honours Class From Solar to Fuel with Bio consisted almost entirely of the workshop on Solar Biofuels from Micro-organisms that drew more than eighty specialist researchers to Leiden's Lorentz Centre in late March/early April. Students Erica Wenker (chemistry) and Jasper van Dobben de Bruijn (law)…

The Municipality of The Hague called on researchers to come up with a proposal for an innovative research project on problems big cities face such as energy transition. Four of the five projects that have been granted funding come from researchers from Leiden University.

The war between Ukraine and Russia is playing out not just on the battlefield but also on the geopolitical playing field of gas. Conflicts at the start of this century about this energy source were, says PhD candidate Ilia Barboutev, a precursor to today’s war.

The African Studies Centre Leiden’s Research Programme for 2025-2029 is called ‘African Trajectories: Past Dependencies and New Directions’. Building on its former programme, it extends the recognition of Africa’s pivotal role in world affairs. The continent’s global significance has become increasingly…

As environmental and ecological changes and their impact become more urgent, demand for Industrial Ecology experts is rising. More and more national and international companies, local and national governments and NGOs are interested in our alumni, who possess the interdisciplinary perspective and skill…

SuperCode: Sustainability PER AI-driven CO-DEsign

Metal-containing molecules combine geometrical features and a reactivity that are inherently different from that of organic molecules. My research focuses on light-activatable metal-based anticancer drugs and metal-functionalized liposomes. Light is a very selective way to activate photosensitive drugs…

This research focuses on the (Quantum) Dynamics (QD) of the reactive scattering of H2 from metal surfaces.

LUC's Liberal Arts and Sciences programme offers you the opportunity to specialise in one of six Majors while keeping the Global Challenges at the centre of your studies.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences is working hard on sustainability in its buildings and in its operations. In this way, we want to do our part to contribute to the university and faculty vision and goals, and to a healthy and sustainable campus.