Three major cosmology-focused missions are planned for the next decade: the Euclid space telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

An Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) is a highly luminous region at the center of a galaxy, powered by the accretion into a supermassive black hole and emitting energy from radio waves to gamma rays, often outshining the host galaxy.

Promotor: Prof.dr. S. Portegies Zwart

This thesis develops a method for direction dependent calibration of the ionosphere in radio interferometric data.

Nowadays, it is well known that hydrogen and helium (and small traces of lithium and beryllium) were created shortly after the Big Bang, while the heavier elements are created in the cores of stars at different evolutionary stages. When these stars explode as supernovae, they expel metals synthesised…

These are the proposed research projects for LEAPS 2019. Please note that not all projects will go ahead and some may still be added in the near future. Final funding decisions lie with the Faculty sponsors. And please make a note that if you are interested in an ESA project, to check if your state…

Astronomers want to understand the Universe, from the Big Bang to the present day, and what the future will hold. In Leiden they focus on two key questions: ‘How did stars and planets originate’ and ‘How were galaxies and black holes formed in the young Universe?’ A new generation of telescopes – just…

In the Netherlands, anyone who loses their passport or ID card too often can be added to the Passport Alerts Register. As a result, a passport application may be denied or the passport must be surrendered. Rowie Stolk, PhD candidate at the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law, spoke on…

Within the two-year Astronomy master’s programme, you can choose from seven specialisations, ranging from fundamental or applied astronomy research in cosmology, instrumentation or data science, to combinations of astronomy research with education, management or science communication.

Promotor: Prof.dr. J. Schaye, Co-promotor: Marcello Cacciato

best phd theses of the faculty of science Leiden - physics, chemistry, computer science, biopharmaceutical sciences, biology, industrial ecology, environmental sciences, astronomy, mathematics

Promotor: P. T. de Zeeuw, Co-promotor: N. Neumayer; G. van de Ven

Leiden University announced on 19 March 2020 that there would be no more face-to-face teaching for the rest of this academic year. That was a big decision with big consequences, but students in Leiden are staying positive and trying to make the best of it. Read on to be inspired by how Leiden students…

Smart algorithms and powerful processors are just as essential for astronomy as big telescopes. Astronomers at Leiden University therefore constantly operate at the interface between astronomy and data science.

From the effects of hormone fluctuations in women via the interior structure of giant planets to the prehistory of the languages: six Leiden researchers have been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council.

Leiden physicist Alexey Boyarsky, together with his colleagues from Lausanne and Copenhagen, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant to research an extension of the standard model of particle physics. The leading house of the project is the Technical University of Lausanne. 580.000 euro goes directly…

On 17 October, Armin Cuyvers, associate professor of EU law at Leiden Law School, was a studio guest on the Radio 1 show ‘Een Vandaag’.

There are certainly ten airlines who do not carry out an identity check in the Schengen area upon check-in.

Water fleas and damselflies are much more sensitive to crop protection products in nature than in the lab. These test results from the Living Lab were presented by Henrik Barmentlo and Martina Vijver in Dutch radio show Vroege Vogels.

On 2 July, Armin Cuyvers was interviewed on the morning news show of BNR News Radio on the ongoing fight for the EU top jobs: why is it so hard to choose a new president for the European Commission, what is happening behind the scenes, and what are the chances of Frans Timmermans?

Two Leiden astronomers will receive the prestigious IAU PhD Prize. Both Jorryt Mathee and Niels Ligterink of the Leiden Observatory won a prize. Scientific director Huub Röttgering: We are proud that this year two of our PhD students receive an IAU prize for the best thesis in their field of researc…

At the largest scales, two ingredients dictate the distribution of matter in the Universe. The first is dark matter, acting as an invisible scaffolding held together by gravitational forces.

On 30 July, Jorrit Rijpma spoke on Dutch BNR news radio programme Spitsuur about the call from ANVR, the Dutch travel sector organisation, for European travel guidelines to be provided.

Annelien Bouland, PhD candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society, was interviewed by VPRO Bureau Buitenland (NPO Radio 1) about the Senegalese TV Series 'Mistress of a married man' (‘Maîtresse d’un homme marié’).

Sanneke Kuipers and Dyonne Niehof wrote a blog about 'The Resilient City'. They describe the resilience of a city such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and also provide insights of social capital and the resilience of The Hague.

Four researchers from Leiden University have been awarded prestigious Vici grants the Dutch Research Council (NWO) has announced. The honoured applications are from researchers at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden Observatory, the LUMC and the Faculty of Archaeology.

British novelist Sarah Perry picked Anna Scott as one of her favorite musicians for the program Private Passions on BBC Radio 3.

Employers are calling on rules to be relaxed on labour migrants from outside the EU as a way of attracting more labour migrants to solve staff shortages. Professor of Economics Olaf van Vliet explains on Dutch radio new programme BNR Nieuwsradio that there are various options to reduce staff shortag…

Leiden Observatory is going to use a new technique to carry out calculations on gravitational lensing measurements. They will do this is the context of research into the formation of elliptical galaxies. Alessandro Sonnenfeld (University of Tokyo) who developed this technique joined the research team…

Agriculture is among the most vulnerable sectors to climate change and poorer countries face the most severe difficulties. Coffee farmers in Central America, for instance, are facing multiple and mutually reinforcing crises, including price shocks, outbreaks of pests and diseases, migration, and farm…

Four young Leiden researchers have been awarded a Rubicon grant to conduct research abroad. They will be working in Germany, the UK and the US studying such topics as the origin of galaxies and risk behaviour in young people.

The directorate of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) has two new members. Ronald Stark (currently at NWO) will be the new Executive Director of NOVA from 1 September. Amina Helmi (Professor of Dynamics, structure and formation of the Milky Way at the University of Groningen) will…

The Old Observatory has a rich history. On this page you will find a short version of the history that took place in the observatory.

Four of Leiden's top researchers have been awarded substantial grants by the European Research Council.

The West is considering military intervention in Libya to stop the rise of IS. The question is: what does IS want in Libya and what can and will the West do about it?

Astronomer Alvaro Hacar received a Veni grant for his ORION-4D research on the birth of stars.

An international team of astronomers has published a map of the sky showing over 25,000 supermassive black holes. The map, to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, is the most detailed celestial map in the field of so-called low radio frequencies. The astronomers, including Leiden astronomers,…

Switzerland and the EU are conducting negotiations on a renewed institutional framework for a number of already existing and future market access agreements.

Five Leiden researchers have been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). This grant of up to two million euros will enable them to continue and expand their scientific research.

Fourteen promising researchers from Leiden University have been given the opportunity to realise their research plans for the coming years thanks to a Veni grant from the NWO. This year, these subsidies have been granted to studies of the influence of noise on the great tit, the conditions necessary…

Four promising young researchers from Leiden University have received a Rubicon grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This grant will enable them to gain valuable research experience at top universities abroad.

On 1 March Armin Cuvyers was interviewed on BNR national radio on Brexit, the Draft Withdrawal Agreement of the Commission and the key Brexit speech by Theresa May planned for 2 March.

Seven researchers from Leiden University have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant. This will enable them to start their own project, build their research team and put their best ideas into action.

Physicist Martin van Hecke receives a 2.5 million euro ERC research grant for research into information processing materials. Starting out with a piece of rubber that can count to ten.

A permanent exhibition on the place of humans in the cosmos. This is something Franx wants to use his Spinoza Prize for. ‘So much progress has been made that we are still trying to define the questions. In finding the answers we are constantly coming up against surprises.’

Four Leiden researchers have each been awarded a consolidator grant of up to 2 million euros by the European Research Council (ERC). They carry out research on a diverse range of subjects, from gender stereotyping in the field of science to making sugar molecules.

OP Grants NWO are awarded to 16 scientists in astronomy, computer science and mathematics, or a combination of these disciplines (multidisciplinary) by NOW Exact Sciences. The scientists received a total amount of 6 million euros.

Simulations of galaxies help researchers understand astronomical observations better. The EAGLE simulation, a large project in which Leiden astronomers play a leading role, shows the evolution of the Universe, from just after the Big Bang to the present day.