Scientific research on Colonialism and Slavery is done from different research programmes and different disciplines.

Our research focuses on a number of subthemes, such as the history of collecting, the agency of museum collections, the ethics of collecting (including legal aspects), and the integration of humanities and technical research in exploring the collections.

The Department of Economics concentrates its research on Social Policies, Public Finance and Law and Economics.

Participation in research programmes

The research within the Private International Law Department covers private international law, with a particular focus on the fundamental principles of formal private international law.

Computers are becoming ever more powerful and are taking on more complex tasks. The Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) contributes to revolutionary scientific research and applies the latest inventions in the field, offering answers to today’s questions of society.

Research at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL) focuses on linguistic variation and diversity. In order to create more awareness and scientific understanding of this topic, research activities are clustered around six (overlapping) umbrella programmes. Many of our researchers are active…

Our researchers are experts in the fields of languages, cultures, history, arts, societies and philosophy. Together we cover almost all continents and time periods. Knowledge of these disciplines contributes to a humane, safe and sustainable world.

Research at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies is primarily carried out under its Research Programme ‘Exploring the Frontiers of International Law’.

Research and education are two of the pillars the SAILS programme is built on and which we are keen to expand on. Communication of research to researchers, students, companies and other societal partners is another key element.

The scientists at Babylab Leiden ensure that important knowledge is gathered about how babies learn to understand the world around them. Meet our Babylab Team and get to know our researchers!

Our Institute’s research focuses on ‘global vulnerabilities and social resilience’. Specifically, we highlight three interconnected themes: diversity, sustainability, and digitalisation.

The philosophers at the Institute of Philosophy develop new perspectives and insights not only on fundamental philosophical questions, but also on topical and interdisciplinary themes such as secrecy, migration, climate change, the politics of truth and intercultural relations.

Find out more about the impact of Brexit on research projects.

The Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo provides myriad forms of assistance to researchers from our affiliated institutions. For more information on the current research NVIC is involved in, please select your field of academic interest on the left.

The faculty’s scientific research is organised around a number of centres and institutes in The Hague, city of peace, security and justice.

LUCAS’ Medieval and Early Modern (MEM) cluster brings together expertise in the fields of art, literature and media. It focuses on the arts in society in Europe and beyond during a vast period of time, from the 7th through to the 18th centuries CE.

Through our research, we work towards a fundamental understanding of the world and people around us. We use that knowledge to make the world a safe, healthy, sustainable, prosperous and just place.

Leiden Law School has a long tradition of research in Air Law and, of more recent vintage, in Space Law.

Research within the department of Philosophy of Law is mainly focused on the history of the philosophy of law.

LIAS has a School of Asian Studies (SAS), a School of Middle-Eastern Studies (SMES) and a School of Religious Studies (LUCSoR). These designations, and the fields within them, remain foundational to our work. At the same time, the academic community benefits from the presence of cross-regional networks…

Research at the Catalysis and Surface Chemistry group is comprised of the following research themes:

Physicists at the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) conduct fundamental research into physical phenomena. They are inspired by curiosity and the desire to know more about the world in which we live. This research has always paved the way for new practical applications. These are something that the…

The Leiden Leadership Centre conducts research into the development of effective public leadership within and between organisations. On the basis of our research and development agenda ‘Furthering Public Leadership’, we focus on public leadership in a public context, on its societal impact, and on leadership…

Research in the arts at the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA)  

Enduring influence of Roman law

Research highlights

Overview of the main research projects at the Leiden Papyrological Institute.

Research at the MCBIM group is comprised of the following research themes:

The main goal of the research that is conducted in the Brain and Education Lab is to create a better understanding of the cognitive and neural systems that support learning and academic performance across development. To pursue this goal, lab members draw on theories and methods from developmental and…

The aim of our research program is to better understand the aetiology and course of mood, anxiety and trauma and stressor-related disorders and to test and improve treatments for these disorders.

The conquest by Rome brought profound changes to large parts of Europe. Unprecedented infrastructural works such as roads and harbours were created, towns sprang up, a ribbon of fortresses was laid out along the frontiers and there is a vast increase in material culture to inform us about the lives…

At the Sport Data Center, five research themes are explored.

The research within the Liveable Planet programme is clustered around four themes. Find out why these topics deserve our attention.

The Western Mediterranean is a key region to understand human dispersal events within and out of the African continent as well as for the eventual replacement of Neanderthals by anatomically modern humans during the Pleistocene. Central to any conclusive interpretation of archaeological and palaeoclimatic…

The mission of our group is understanding how science communication works to improve the interaction between science and society. We believe better science communication can improve our society and engage many different groups with science, also improving science.

At Leiden University, researchers from all disciplines work together to find answers and design innovations in the field of artificial intelligence.

Research at the SBC group is comprised of the following research themes:

Biotherapeutics or biologics, such as proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids, comprise an increasing share of the pharmaceutical market, whilst offering new therapies for difficult-to-treat diseases. Most notable is their contribution to the vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In most cases,…

The GTGC network currently spans over 200 researchers across 6 faculties at Leiden University. We especially foster thematic interfaculty collaborations on a wide variety of global transformations and governance challenges.

The current projects of the Molecular Physiology group focus on proteins of the endocannabinoid system, kinases and antibacterial targets. MSc- and BSc-students can contact Jessica van Krimpen-Kraaijenoord to apply for research internships.

Through metabolism, biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life. Acquired and inborn errors in metabolism underlie many diseases occurring in man. The challenge for present day medical biochemistry is to find, and integrate, pieces of information at molecular, cell and organismal level…

CompaRe aims to conduct and stimulate research on comparative regional integration in Europa, Asia, Africa and Latin-America. To this end, CompaRe organizes conferences and workshops, and CompaRe members contribute to conferences, research papers, publications and reports on comparative regional…

How do people acquire language? How can you train your brain? What is the effect of stress on an unborn child? LIBC research topics range from language processing to cognitive robotics, and from psychiatric disorders to the impact of social factors on human behaviour. Meet several main research topics…

The CSPRR hosts several research projects.

Research at the THEOR group is comprised of the following research themes:

Research at the BIOSYN group is comprised of the following research themes:

The LLRC has collaborated on developing the communicative tasks for the Leiden Learner Corpus (LLC).