Fundamental understanding of molecular reactions on metal surfaces is important for improving heterogeneous catalysis.

A new type of tripodal squaramide-based supramolecular hydrogels is developed and studied.

This thesis is an experimental study of the UV irradiation of the interstellar ice analogues, relevant for the different stages of the star and planet formation sequence.

De American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) heeft de Varro E. Tyler prijs toegekend aan Rob Verpoorte, voor zijn uitstekende bijdragen aan de wetenschap van de natuur als bron van geneesmiddelen.

Dit jaar start de Leidse microbioloog Arthur Ram met onderzoek om op grote schaal nuttige enzymen te produceren. Ram ontvangt een NWO-beurs voor het project dat toepassingen heeft in de industriële biotechnologie en voedingsindustrie.

Streptomyces are multicellular, Gram-positive bacteria in the phylum of actinobacteria which produce a high amount of bioactive natural products of which the expression is tightly coordinated with the life cycle.

The space between the stars isn't simply a void; it also contains substances such as methanol and carbon dioxide. So far, chemical theories have been unable to explain how these substances originate under circumstances that should make it impossible. Fedor Goumans has been awarded a Veni subsidy to…

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.L.V. Linnartz

Laboratory, observation and modeling work on the dissociation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in interstellar environments and the formation of new molecular species through the fragmentation process.

Nathaniel Martin heeft een Proof of Concept (PoC) beurs toegekend gekregen van de European Research Council (ERC). De beurs zal zijn onderzoeksgroep gebruiken om een potente, maar gevaarlijk, antibioticum minder giftig te maken. Hij ontvangt €150.000.

This thesis revolves around the electronic spectroscopy of molecules in the laboratory and the search for the carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs).

Stars and planets form within cold, dense clouds of gas and dust drifting through interstellar space. Although dust makes up only a small fraction of this material, it plays a key role in shaping the chemical evolution of these environments.

Catalysis is of extreme relevance in the production of everyday materials and plays a central role in many aspects of our life.

Promotor: Prof.dr. E.F. Smets, Co-Promotor: L.W. Chatrou

Promotor: Prof.dr. E. Smets, M. Stech

Promotor: Prof.dr. H.P. Spaink, Co-promotor: Dr. B.E. Snaar

In the current global context, there is a pressing need to address sustainable energy supplies to safeguard our Planet and its ecosystems. The choices made by human society have a significant impact on genetic evolution and climate.

Voor het eerst hebben onderzoekers uit Utrecht, Leiden, Amsterdam, Liverpool en Maastricht mini-orgaantjes van slangengifklieren in het lab gekweekt. De groepjes cellen kunnen gifmoleculen produceren. Dit is een belangrijke stap om slangenbeten beter te behandelen. Publicatie in toptijdschrift Cell…

Op 11 november organiseerde de bacheloropleiding Molecular Science and Technology een corona-proof diploma-uitreiking met een bijzondere afstudeerder: de 18-jarige Ruard van Workum. Al van jongs af aan ontwikkelde Ruard een passie voor scheikunde. Hij begon op 15-jarige leeftijd met de opleiding Molecular…

Mechanical forces are known to play an important role in bacterial colonies. In this dissertation, we study the self-organization at various stages of growing bacterial colonies, and focus on the mechanical effects of cell growth.

Heterogeneous catalysis is one of the fundamental processes of modern life, being common in industrial refinery and hydrogen vehicles, all the way to the living cell. The dissociation of H2 on Cu(111) is an important benchmark system for studying heterogeneous catalysis, with a large and varied amount…

This thesis is about the study of hydrocarbons via infrared spectroscopy.

Large areas of space are filled by molecular clouds that consist of gas and dust grains that are the remnants of dead stars. When these clouds start collapsing, the decreasing temperature and increasing density cause gas particles to start accreting onto dust grain surfaces.

The long-held desire - to link structure directly to function and to explain molecular mechanisms based on basic chemical or physical principles - is finally coming closer, satisfying not only our scientific curiosity but also offering new solutions to the many challenges in the field of health, energy…

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

Promotor: F.P. Israel, Co-Promoter: R. Meijerink

Het stofje galantamine uit bloembollen kan symptomen van Alzheimer bestrijden. Nadeem Akram onderzocht hoe narcissen dit natuurlijke medicijn optimaal kunnen produceren. Promotie op 24 juni.

Filamentous Actinobacteria, such as Streptomyces, produce a plethora of chemically diverse bioactive metabolites that have found applications across medicine, agriculture and biotechnology.

Nieuwe stoffen identificeren om antibioticaresistente bacteriën te bestrijden. Onderzoekers van Leiden Universiteit en VU Amsterdam bundelen hun krachten om dit waar te maken, met een project gefinancierd door NWO’s Open Technologieprogramma (OTP). De samenwerking heeft bijna een miljoen euro toegekend…

Plantenbioloog Pingtao Ding, universitair docent bij het Instituut Biologie Leiden (IBL), heeft een beurs ontvangen van 2,4 miljoen euro. De Starting Grant van de European Research Council (ERC) voor veelbelovende jonge onderzoekers geeft hem de mogelijkheid om te kijken hoe planten zich beschermen…

This thesis advance our understanding and the application of molecular catalysts relevant to the reduction of oxygen as well as reduction of nitrite.

Heterogeneous catalyzed processes are highly significant to the chemical industry. Dissociative chemisorption (DC) of molecules on surfaces is always considered as a step with a high degree of rate control for heterogeneous catalysis.

Promotor: Prof.dr. E. F. van Dishoeck

This thesis describes a study from both a theoreticaL and an experimental point of view.

Despite the history of studies on methanol formation from CO2, the dominant elementary reaction steps that constitute the chemical mechanism for this catalyzed process are not determined.

Promotor: H.V.J. Linnartz

Resistentie tegen antibiotica heeft ertoe geleid dat de huidige middelen om bacteriën te bestrijden, dat niet meer zo goed kunnen als vroeger. Vandaag de dag overlijden er mensen aan bacteriële infecties die vijftig jaar geleden wel behandeld hadden kunnen worden.

Hybrid zones occur where two species meet and produce offspring (hybrids). Typically, hybrids show a considerable reduction in fitness. In this thesis two hybrid zones are treated.

The formation and evolution of galaxies is fundamentally driven by the formation of new stars out of cold gas.

Promotor: Prof.dr. E. Bouwman, Co-Promotor: S. Bonnet

Developing new medicines is one of modern science's most significant hurdles, a process marked by high costs, long timelines, and frequent failures of promising candidates.

Several techniques are explored for going beyond the born-oppenheimer static surface model for molecule-surface reactions.

Elf onderzoekers van de faculteit Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen staan op de 2021 Highly Cited Researchers-lijst van Clarivate Analytics. Slechts 0,1 procent van de wereldwijde onderzoekers komt in deze lijst voor, waarmee ze dus letterlijk één uit duizend zijn.

The work in this thesis demonstrates how to obtain an atomic-scale picture of a diverse set of complex surface structures observed using STM, under disparate conditions.

The recently introduced nature-originated deep eutectic solvents, so-called natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are considered as truly green solvents, which composed of natural ingredients found abundantly in organisms.

This thesis presents pioneering work on the panchromatic emission of some of the most luminous galaxies in the early Universe: star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei.

Animal diet studies are critical for understanding ecological processes such as trophic interactions, energy flow, and nutrient cycling. By examining what animals consume, ecologists gain insights into species specialization, predator-prey relationships, and ecosystem management.

The cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R) is associated with several inflammatory diseases with an unmet medical need (e.g. Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, reumatoid arthritis). Development of new chemical biology strategies to study this protein is essential to aid future development of drugs for these…