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.

Promotor: A. Doelman, Co-promotores: P.J.A. van Heijster; A. Zagaris

PhD student Robbin Bastiaansen applies mathematics to get insight in practical problems. By comparing mathematical models with developments in existing ecosystems, he hopes to demystify the process of desertification. His research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…

Mathematics forms the basis of many innovations in technology, the service industry and science, such as data analysis and coding, artificial intelligence, weather or climate change modelling or understanding molecular processes. The researchers from the Mathematical Institute (MI) are constantly developing…

After his PhD defense on 25 September Frits Veerman will go to the University of Oxford to do research at the Centre for Mathematical Biology.

Are you thinking about studying Mathematics? Learn more and watch the introduction video.

PhD candidates carry out a programme of independent research, leading to a PhD thesis in typically 4 years.

Vast, often populated, areas in dryland ecosystems face the dangers of desertification.

Can the (industrial) herbal extraction process be mathematically described and can this model be used to optimize the extraction in terms of quality and economical parameters?

The master’s programme Mathematics at Leiden University focuses on analysis, probability and statistics, number theory and (arithmetic) geometry. It offers five specialisations ranging from Applied Mathematics to Mathematics and Business Studies.

As a Mathematics student, you will learn to solve complex problems in creative ways using logical thinking and mathematical structures. A Mathematics degree will open many doors for you in society.

This PhD project develops and applies a GIS procedure to use legacy survey data in settlement pattern analysis. As part of the research by the LERC project (NWO, Leiden University, KNIR), legacy data produced by surveys in central and southern Italy are examined in a comparative framework to investigate…

The Mathematical Institute is responsible for the research and education in mathematics and statistics at Leiden University.

What are the global relationships between environmental conditions and abundance of distinct types of mycorrhizal fungi in soil and plant roots?

We consider the propagation of electrical signals through nerve fibres.

The goal of the project is the development of stream mining techniques for complex patterns such as graphs. We will try to extend the existing state-of-the-art techniques into two, orthogonal directions: on the one hand, the mining of more complex patterns in streams, such as sequential patterns and…

The master’s specialisation Mathematics and Education at Leiden University prepares students to teach the subject of mathematics to secondary school students. The programme comprises a one-year mathematics component, followed by an education component in the second year.

The master's specialisation Applied Mathematics at Leiden University focuses on both computational and fundamental aspects of analysis and probability. It’s also an ideal basis for a PhD degree. Applied Mathematics is an excellent choice if you have the aspiration to pursue a PhD degree

This study looks at the question of how and at what level students in primary teacher education can integrate theory and practice, and how the organisation of their learning environment, focusing especially on mathematics and pedagogy, can contribute to that.

Scientific staff of the Mathematical Institute organises the General Mathematics Colloquium several times a year.

The master’s specialisation Mathematics and Science Based Business at Leiden University bridges science and business development by focusing on areas such as technology management, innovation, entrepeneurship, operations, and decision making.

Perform cutting-edge research in the area of the STAR mathematics cluster.

Promotor: J.N. Kok, Co-promotor: C.M. Soares, A.J. Knobbe

This is a research project on the implementation of national mathematics curriculum reform in Chinese junior high school. The research is expected to provide insight into the ways and reasons of mathematics teachers in Chinese junior high school for implementing national curriculum reform.

What happens to electrical waves that have to cross gaps in insulation material around nerves in the human body

This thesis describes how complex and real-world relevant analytical solutions can be found starting from a simple Nagumo problem posed on one or two-dimensional lattices.

In several Mediterranean regions archaeological sites have been mapped by fieldwalking surveys, producing large amounts of data. These legacy site-based survey data represent an important resource to study ancient settlement organization. Methodological procedures are necessary to cope with the limits…

The master’s specialisation Mathematics and Science Communication and Society at Leiden University bridges the gap between experts and the public by combining high quality research in mathematics with extensive training in science communication.

Patterns of paleomobility in the Caribbean were studied through an inter-disciplinary approach using a combination of archaeological, osteological, mortuary, and isotopic data.

Mycorrhizas are symbiotic associations between soil fungi and most plant species.

This part entails the analysis of an extensive sample of animal bone (c. 30,000 pieces) retrieved from well-defined archaeological contexts of the early period at Tell Sabi Abyad, c. 6800-6200 BC. It comprises aspects of taphonomy, ageing and osteometry, the reconstruction of the local spectrum of domestic…

During embryonic growth, cells proliferate, differentiate, and collectively migrate to form different tissues at the right position and time in the body.

In this project, we aim to develop mathematical models to mechanistically and quantitatively predict the dynamics of cellular stress pathway activation and its relation with toxic effects when cells are exposed to various toxicants.

Thanks to data science, we can chart and search enormous quantities of related information. This generates all kinds of new insights, for example in complex global financial structures or such societal problems as loneliness.

Study information

Systems pharmacology aims to apply techniques from systems biology to pharmacological models.

How does the extracellular matrix coordinate endothelial cell behavior during angiogenesis, and how do metabolic waste-products and matrix-degrading enzymes produced by the tumour modify the extracellular matrix so as the change the cellular coordination?

Promotor: A.W. van der Vaart

On May 17th, Arthur Crucq succesfully defended his doctoral thesis and graduated. The Leiden University Centre for Linguistics congratulates Arthur on this great result.

Promotor: E. Gittenberger, Co-promotor: B.W. Hoeksema

Despite being the object of intense study, embryonic development has been difficult to model due to a number of reasons. First, complex tissues can be comprised of many cell types, of which we probably only know a subset.