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

The aim of this PhD dissertation project is to study the effect of private foreign investment outside the realm of economics in the context of a colonial structure in Indonesia between c. 1910 and c. 1960.

In this publication, the authors explore the reality of accessing and interviewing hard-to-reach populations such as extremists and terrorists

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.

In this project we study the properties of statistical- and rule-learning mechanisms in relation to the acquisition and evolution of language. We ask to what extent these mechanisms are unique to humans - or to human language - by comparing the acquisition of vocal structure in two species: humans (infants)…

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.

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.

On 27 January 2022 Tjahjono Prasodjo successfully defended a doctoral thesis and graduated.

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.

This paper examines the need and possibility for developing online resilience-based approaches in response to COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies, often linked to the far right.

This research aims to study the practice of cremation in Alexandria and Graeco-Roman Egypt, through the examination of its cinerary urns.

Muge Özoglu defended her dissertation on 5 December 2018

Promotor: Prof.dr. S.F. Portegies Zwart, Co-promotor: D.C. Heggie

This book explores the fascinating microvariation in Bantu languages and proposes a new syntactic analysis of subject and object agreement crosslinguistically. This book is open access!

Promotor: J.G.E.M. Fraaije, Co-Promotor: A. Kros

Archives were a common target during the Second World War, and hundreds suffered damages. Among these archival losses, the losses to medieval manuscript collections stand out.

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

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

Can we speak of a single Islamic discourse in fields like politics, militancy, economics, sustainable development, and the like, and what interaction does this Islamic though have with ‘Western’ thought?

When combined and used by specific people located in time and place, words can express something more than, different from, or even the opposite of their dictionary meanings.

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

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

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

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.

Cultural biographies of persons, objects and 'natural' places in the Bronze Age of the Southern Netherlands, c. 2300-600 BC.

Research on the process and construction of news stories about human rights issues in Latin American newspapers.

The goal of our research is to analyze Natorp’s redefinition of the distinction between intuitions and concepts in relation to his conception of the method of philosophy. We will exhibit the connection between the way in which Natorp redefines the Kantian dichotomy and his conception of the method of…

Promotor: J.N. Kok, Co-promotor: M.S. Lew

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

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

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.

A small number of EC points from your elective space can be obtained through project work instead of taking elective courses. This enables students to work on a project that they really want to do.

This dissertation presents new cryptographic protocols, which can be divided into two families.

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

Tuna Kalaycı, ed. Archaeologies of Roads. 2023.

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…

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…

This new volume, published 19 November 2020, - within the series 'Intersections' -, explores the concept of magnificence as a social construction in seventeenth-century Europe. Although this period is often described as the ‘Age of Magnificence’, thus far no attempts have been made to investigate how…

Does a high quality prairie restoration in an urban/agricultural landscape provide invertebrates necessary for a sustainable ecosystem?

Priya Swamy defended her thesis on 27 October 2016

The Honours Academy is housed in the Old Observatory, on the outskirts of Leiden's city centre.

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

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

How do Central African refugees navigate through uncertainty in a new and hostile environment in the DR Congo?

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.

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

This study presents the findings of a laboratory-based experiment testing hypothesised processes implicated in the prevention of violent radicalisation through counter-narratives. The central aims of the study were to contribute to counter-narrative theory, whilst highlighting the value of experimental…

Politically speaking, the Frisian coastal area constitutes a special case in late medieval Europe since it was not subject to an overlord as it withstood feudalization in the 13th century. Its many sub regions, which were dominated by elites of small noblemen and freeholders, long time succeeded in…