Unfolding potential

Four different astronomical societies are active in the Old Observatory. We are very proud of the commitment these associations show to organize activities.

Single-molecule spectroscopy has become a powerful method for using organic fluorescent molecules in numerous applications.

Currently, the construction is underway for a large, covered bicycle parking facility with space for nearly 3000 bicycles. In the summer of 2024, the Gorlaeus bicycle parking will be ready for use.

What is the difference between a minister saying that something is possible or that it is not impossible ?

Andrew Littlejohn published the article 'Ruins for the future: Critical allegory and disaster governance in post-tsunami Japan' in American Ethnologist about the ruins left by Japan's 2011 tsunami.

Promotor: Prof.dr. A.W. van der Vaart

Anna Scott is a Canadian pianist-researcher interested in using the early twentieth century recordings of the Brahms circle of pianists to question persistent gaps between the loci of knowledge, ethics, and act in both modern mainstream and historically-informed performances of Brahms’s late piano w…

Markus Davidsen defended his thesis on 16 October 2014

While phenomenology and Yogacara Buddhism are both known for their investigations of consciousness, there exists a core tension between them: phenomenology affirms the existence of essence, whereas Yogacara Buddhism argues that everything is empty of essence (svabhava). How is constructive cultural…

The main aim of this research is to understand the dynamics of identity within indigenous Caribbean communities as expressed through the practice of intentional cranial modification. A multidisciplinary approach will be applied to achieve this aim, combining current anthropological and sociological…

Our current research focusses on the exploration of the Universe using the neutrino. This neutral, almost massless and only weakly interacting particle can open a window to the distant Universe and also dense regions from which photons cannot escape.

This thesis deals with properties of Jacobians of genus two curves that cover elliptic curves.

The ethics of ghosts, spectres, and mediums in postcolonial literature

In this book, Vanessa Newby provides the first detailed examination of credibility’s essential place in peacekeeping.

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

ASLU 16

A monthly seminar on complex networks, aimed at scientists from all disciplines.

On 27 June 2017, Daniel Dimov defended his PhD dissertation “Crowdsourced Online Dispute Resolution”. The supervisors are Professor H.J. van den Herik and Professor A.R. Lodder.

Supervisor: P.J.J. Hooykaas Co-Supervisor: R. Offringa

In his groundbreaking Imagined Communities, first published in 1983, Benedict Anderson argued that members of a community experience a

Lecture, CMGI Brown Bag Seminar

Carbohydrates, or sugars, are the most diverse and most abundant biomolecules known. However, the isolation of carbohydrate samples in sufficient amounts and purity is often impractical or even impossible, so the chemical synthesis of glycosides becomes relevant. The glycosylation reaction, in which…

How to related figures of savages to conceptions of history?

The master's programme Industrial Ecology (joint degree Leiden University and Delft University of Technology) is unique in the Netherlands and one of the few programmes in the world combining natural science, engineering, and social science for science-based solutions for sustainability problems.

This research intents to redefine the limits of the electric guitar.

Spaanse Water

Promotores: J.N. Kok, H.J. Hoogeboom

Galaxies in the local Universe fall into two main categories of spirals and ellipticals. In this Thesis, we explore the structural evolution of galaxies into this bimodal distribution.

Organisms often need to adapt more efficiently and devise new strategies for surviving difficult ecological circumstances.

Design of a Linguistic System for Interstellar Communication Based on Logic

The main methodological aspects of the use of stepwise LCA estimators under different circumstances.

Pursuing Whiteness in the Colonies offers a new comprehension of colonial history from below by taking remnants of individual agencies from a whiteness studies perspective. It highlights the experiences and perceptions of colonisers and how they portrayed and re-interpreted their identities in Afric…

On 10 June 2021, Merinda Stewart defended her thesis 'Freedom of Overflight: A Study of Coastal State Jurisdiction in International Airspace'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. P.M.J. Mendes de Leon en Prof. J.J. Rijpma.

Quantum computing is an emerging technology, which holds the potential to simulate complex quantum systems beyond the reach of classical numerical methods.Despite recent formidable advancements in quantum hardware, constructing a quantum computer capable of performing useful calculations remains challenging.In…

Tuna Kalaycı, ed. Archaeologies of Roads. 2023.

Bahar Şimşek defended her thesis on 4 May 2021.

Research combining a conceptual and practical perspective within the field of teaching and learning second languages.

One of the effects of climate change is the phenomenon of desertification, a process that occurs in semi-arid and arid areas and causes land degradation as well as vegetation loss. Due to the lack of resources, vegetation self-organizes to sustain itself by forming large-scale spatial patterns.

The main focus of this thesis is the behaviour of two-dimensional materials, namely (anti)-ferromagnetic materials in the first two chapters, which show topological phases, and energetic square ice in the third and fourth chapter.

Promotor: S.M. Verduyn Lunel, Co-promotores: M.F.E. de Jeu, B. de Pagter

On this section of the website you can find more information about the Old Observatory and the current astronomy research institute.

The central inquiry of this thesis revolves around how ontology can adequately accommodate the existence of necessary physical relations. Initially, the thesis demonstrates the imperative acknowledgment of necessary physical relations by showcasing the failure of Neo-Humean theories.

This study by artist Jonas Staal explores the development of propaganda art from the 20th to the 21st century.

Materials with strongly correlated electrons show some of the most mysterious and exotic phases of quantum matter, such as unconventional superconductivity, quantum criticality and strange metal phase.

Did you know that after succesful completion of the minor American Studies, you can apply for the master’s programme North American Studies? Find out more below.

Languages spoken around the world differ vastly from  the more familiar Indo-European languages. The courses in this theme aim to introduce you to the immense linguistic diversity still found in the world today. 

Mission statement