2,065 search results for “know” in the Staff website
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No holiday plans? Go on a virtual trip this summer!
‘Walking around in a new environment activates our brain’s learning centre. This allows us to learn better, even once we’ve returned to a familiar environment.’ This is the conclusion drawn by neuroscientist Judith Schomaker in her recent publication in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
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NWO grant to research scent language in seventeenth-century literature: 'God is like a scent'
When it comes to literature, people mostly talk about what characters see or hear. Rarely is it about what they smell. That’s a shame, thinks university lecturer Jan van Dijkhuizen. He has been awarded an Open Competition grant from NWO to expand academic knowledge about scent in literature, and to…
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Language both connects and divides
Author and political scientist Mounir Samuel has spent recent years delving into the many ways that language can exclude people and bring them together.
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Maritime historians and vocational college students together create historical database
What do you do when you’re suddenly given access to a whole lot of data but don’t know how to organise and analyse it? Maritime historians in the Faculty of Humanities joined forces with vocational college (MBO) students to build a database. ‘We’re so compatible with each other.’
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'Maths is just plain fun'
Gianne Derks is the MI’s new scientific director from 1 May. She has worked abroad longer than in the Netherlands and, after more than 27 years in Surrey, she dreams in English. Who is this new director and who or what managed to entice her to make the move to Leiden?
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Anouk Booten: 'Cyber security is becoming bigger every day because threats are becoming bigger every day'
Trail, FGGA’s internship platform will be one-year old in November. In the upcoming weeks, we will be interviewing some FGGA students who went on internships. What did they learn from their internships? And what tasks were assigned to them?
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'Very honoured': Els de Busser and Ayo Adedokun thrilled with nominations
Two of the three nominees for the Leiden Education Prize, or best teacher of 2020-2021, work at FGGA: Els de Busser (ISGA) and Ayo Adedokun (LUC). Both lecturers are very honoured with their nomination. The winner will be announced on Monday 6 September during the opening of the academic year.
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Anna Dlabacova receives ERC Starting Grant for research on late medieval prayer books
Assistant Professor Anna Dlabacova has been awarded a Starting Grant by the European Research Council. She will use this grant of around 1.5 million euros to conduct research on the Dutch vernacular ‘book of hours’.
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Put your idea about education innovation into practice with a Comenius grant
Research
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Spinoza Prize for astrophysicist Ignas Snellen
With his clever measuring methods Ignas Snellen – together with his team – was the first to detect carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of exoplanets. For his pioneering work the Leiden astrophysicist has been awarded the Spinoza Prize, the highest academic honour in the Netherlands. The prize of 2.5 million…
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3 October University: ‘Artificial intelligence is like young people and sex’
‘Everyone’s talking about it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, but the reality is disappointing,’ says biochemist Gerard van Westen in his 3 October University lecture in the Van der Werfpark. In the full marquee, he gets a laugh with this suggestion that artificial intelligence is comparable…
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Koen Marijt is crazy about history: 'So much has happened within one kilometre of Rapenburg'
Anyone who has taken a walk through the centre of Leiden before might have come across him, an attentive group of tourists gathered around. After studying history, Koen van Toen, or Koen Marijt, started his own business. He now organises historical walks, among other things.
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Our government should be more resilient
A fragmented political landscape, permanent pressure from current affairs and an increasingly political civil service: our government faces many challenges. This makes it all the more difficult to make important decisions about pensions or the climate. Research and good education can help meet the challenges…
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Daniël Vredenberg: ‘You can really make a difference as intern’
Daniël Vredenberg did his master’s internship at the communications department of the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf. In this interview, he talks about his internship and the difference between actually working at an organisation, as he is currently doing, and doing an internship.
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Symposium Diversity & Inclusion: an open and honest discussion about inclusive teaching
A Diversity & Inclusion symposium for academic staff was held at the end of last month. The focus of the internal debate was 'Let's speak about Inclusive Curriculum and Teaching'. All aspects of these topics were emphasized, ideas were developed, and tips & tricks, sensitivities, and best practices…
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PhD survey results announced
The Graduate School of the Faculty of Humanities conducted a survey of its PhD candidates and their supervisors in spring 2023. What is going well? And what could be improved? The results are now known.
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The spy elephant in the room. Inaugural lecture by Dennis Broeders on the tangled web of cyber espionage
Secret services are engaging in increasingly extreme forms of cyber espionage. But nobody talks about this. Dennis Broeders knows why and is trying to have an open conversation about new forms of espionage. As Professor of Global Security and Technology, he will give his inaugural lecture on Friday…
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How are colleagues thinking about the new-style Annual Interview? 'I feel more confident in collaborations'
A boost to self-confidence and clarifying; this is how participants experience the new-style Annual Interview. The approximately 40 interviews conducted, used 360-degree feedback and an updated Result & Development form. Hanneke Hulst: 'I hope other units also dare to take the leap.'
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Course for young researchers: learn how to leave an impression while presenting yourself and your story
Presenting requires empathy, knowing the essence of your story and being able to put it into words. And, of course, a healthy dose of self-awareness and self-confidence. This forms the base for the presentation-training course for young researchers organized by the Centre for Professional Learning.…
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How do you measure democracy? Leiden political scientist collaborates on international freedom report
Wouter Veenendaal, a political scientist at Leiden University, is an analyst for the Freedom House report. Freedom House is an American non-profit organisation dedicated to democracy, political freedom and human rights. In short, the report describes the degree of freedom and the state of democracy…
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Motion of stars near Milky Way's central black hole is only predictable for few hundred years
The orbits of 27 stars orbiting closely around the black hole at the center of our Milky Way are very chaotic. As a result, researchers cannot predict with confidence where they will be in about 462 years. ‘That is astonishingly short,’ says astronomer Simon Portegies Zwart who collaborated on the r…
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Broeders wants to establish a centre of excellence for Emerging Technology and Security
He announced this news in a tweet earlier this month: 'Delighted to announce that I've been appointed Full Professor of Global Security and Technology'. So let's get more closely acquainted with Dennis Broeders (46), who explains why the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) is ideal for him,…
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Archaeologists of the future dig for traces of the past
Forty archaeology students are holding a shovel somewhat awkwardly in the fields at Oss. This is their first day of fieldwork and they are going to use muscles they didn’t even know they had.
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Awaken sleeping antibiotics with ERC Advanced grant
To facilitate the search for new antibiotics. That is the aim of Gilles van Wezel, professor molecular biotechnology at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL). He wants to do this by looking at similarities in the DNA of antibiotic-producing bacteria. Van Wezel has been awarded an ERC Advanced grant…
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Populistist parties use parliamentary instruments differently
Populist parties in national parliaments have a different style of working from their colleagues in other parties. They often vote against Cabinet proposals, but do not ask more questions about Cabinet activities. This is the finding of Leiden research in different European countries.
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Belarus is the only Russian ally left in Europe: what is in it for them?
While all European nations have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is one country Russia can still count on: Belarus. Russia even used its territory as a stepping stone for the invasion. We spoke with Matthew Frear, Assistant Professor and expert on contemporary Belarus, to shed light…
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Lena and Sophie have been selected as Europaeum Fellow: ‘Excited to learn from others’
Four PhD researchers of Leiden University have been selected to participate in the Europaeum Scholars Program 2022-2023. Two of them, Lena Riecke and Sophie Vértiter, are doing their research at ISGA. Time for a introduction.
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A call with Ellen Buschman, director of the Kattekop childcare centre
The Kattekop childcare centre has provided day care for the children of staff and students at Leiden University and the LUMC for over 40 years. Time for a chat with Ellen Buschman, Kattekop director, about how things are going there.
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Belittling and threats are part of everyday life for outspoken women
In a fiery Annie Romein-Verschoor lecture, Sylvana Simons opened up about her experiences as a woman in politics. The leader of the BIJ1 party is regularly the subject of belittling comments and threats. Writer Aafke Romeijn, who reflected on the Simons’ lecture, has also been threatened frequently…
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From sensation to a sense of purpose: the draw of the far right
What makes people in the Netherlands join radical and far-right groups? PhD candidate Nikki Sterkenburg followed several activists. ‘Some feel it is their duty to defend the Dutch nation.’ PhD defence on 19 May.
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DNA from a cup of pond water can reveal a lot: Kat Stewart will find out with a Vidi grant from NWO
She has had the idea for seven years, but now environmental scientist and conservation biologist Kat Stewart finally gets to work on it. She has been awarded a Vidi grant by NWO to find out how DNA from water can be used to shed light on invasive species and their impact on native populations.
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Parents under pressure to cooperate 'voluntarily' in youth support
Staff at Dutch youth care services sometimes put parents under pressure to cooperate 'voluntarily'. There are instances when children are removed from the home without the approval of the court. This may have some benefits from the perspective of the support services, but in legal circles there are…
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‘The child protection system really isn’t in good order’
Last Thursday the Dutch House of Representatives held a debate on children being put into care when the childcare benefits scandal (toeslagenaffaire) had caused problems for their families. Four Leiden University academics were asked by the House to produce a fact sheet for this debate, bringing together…
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These were Leiden University’s interdisciplinary milestones of 2023
Connecting worlds, enhancing research and teaching, and providing innovative solutions to complex social issues: that is the idea behind interdisciplinary research. In that respect, a huge amount happened at Leiden University in 2023.
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‘Legal AI is a bit of a Wild West right now’
A growing number of AI tools are being developed for the legal sector, to help professionals search lengthy texts or check court rulings. Leiden SAILS researcher Masha Medvedeva, an expert on the technical development of these systems, warns: ‘Users should know what’s under the hood.’
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China as a laboratory for the rest of the world
Professor of Modern China Florian Schneider researches what people do with technology and what technology does with people. Social media, for example. And then mainly in China.
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Manon Schouten: ‘I’m the kind of teacher who also works on her profession during the weekend.’
After a detour via the ANWB in Munich, alumna Manon Schouten works as a history teacher at two schools. ‘It's so rewarding to see the material resonate with students.’
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Vici for Victoria Nyst: 'The history of sign language contributes to identity formation'
Victoria Nyst's love for sign language was sparked when she accidentally ended up at a deaf school while studying African linguistics. The university lecturer has since been awarded a Vici grant to research the history of these languages.
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Rosalien van der Poel: 'I’m always busy’
Rosalien van der Poel has worked in every nook and cranny of the University over the past 30 years. Now, as institute manager, she is the lynchpin of the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA), the only institute in the Netherlands where artists can obtain a PhD from a university. 'This is where…
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Three questions about the Ethics Committee
Whereas ethical research rules were previously mainly associated with the sciences, today they also play an increasingly important role in the Humanities. What are the consequences of this for researchers in the Humanities? And when do you need the Ethics Committee? We discussed this question with Dorota…
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Hanneke Hulst looks back on 100 days as scientific director
Our institute is in full swing: the annual staffing review, Recognition & Rewards, Open Science and the introduction of GROW. Besides these positive developments, Hanneke Hulst also sees concerns, for example about the new outline agreement. 'I’m hopeful that together we will find smart ways to deal…
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What rare plants and animals can you find on campus? Join in the BioBlitz
Do you also love a city where nature can bloom, crawl and flutter freely and exuberantly? And do you fancy a challenge out in the fresh air? If so, grab your mobile and take part in the BioBlitz 'Higher Education is Flourishing' from 22 May.
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Roel Kwast: Leiden Law School’s new student assessor
The student assessor: the one student member of the Faculty Board who attends all important meetings and project discussions. The assessor represents students – one of the key target groups – in the faculty’s administrative decisions. The current assessor, Hannah Saberi, will pass over the reins to…
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Leiden biologists find nanoplastics in developing heart
Nanoplastics can accumulate in developing hearts, according to a study by biologist Meiru Wang from Leiden University. Her research on chicken embryos sheds new light on how these tiny plastic particles pose a threat to our health.
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Working together on the plastic problem: how to keep citizens engaged?
What motivates citizens to participate in a citizen science project on plastic pollution? And does that motivation change over time? Liselotte Rambonnet tried to answer these and other questions with her research on the Clean Rivers (‘Schone Rivieren’) project. Rambonnet is a PhD student at the Institute…
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Smart monitoring of test subjects is the future of clinical research
Knowing whether or not a treatment is working just by wearing your watch? Data scientist Ahnjili ZhuParris has identified a lot of opportunities for the use of machine learning in clinical research to monitor test subjects at home.
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10 years of Humanities Lab celebrated in style at Capstone conference
Last week, Humanities Lab honours students presented their research through creative posters and pitches at the Capstone Conference in PLNT Leiden. It was a special edition, where alumni and teachers reminisced over the programme’s 10-year history.
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Students work on a cold case: ‘We look in a different way than the police’
Sixteen master’s students from a variety of disciplines are helping The Hague Police to find new clues in a cold case.
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Researcher teaching in the classroom: ‘We need to imitate nature more closely’
How can we supply the growing world population with sustainable energy? At Laurens College in Rotterdam, Prof. Marc Koper speaks with the students about the crucial role of chemistry in the energy transition. Guest classes like this are a good way for school students to learn about the academic world,…
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CPL Director Emmely Benschop: 'It’s science’s responsibility to keep people on track'
Emmely Benschop (41) has been working as the new director of the Centre for Professional Learning (CPL) in The Hague for several months now. She sees significant growth potential.