Food security is challenged by a growing global population and by climate change. Drought and soil salinity are considered the most important ones that inhibit crop yield and distribution. Worryingly, climate change is predicted to increase not only their frequency and severity, but also their co-occurrence,…

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

The application of nanomaterials in industrial processes and consumer products provides many societal benefits, but can also lead to the release of nanomaterials into the environment. The work in this dissertation aims to provide insights into the potential environmental impacts that may follow from…

Gold nanoparticles show surprisingly strong interactions with light in the visible range, which can be divided into scattering, absorption, and photoluminescence.

The work in this thesis describes the fundamental role of Lkb1 as a conductor of metabolism-related processes in zebrafish larvae.

Soil biodiversity is of great importance for the maintenance of multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems.

The focus of this thesis is on the technical methods which help promote the movement towards Trustworthy AI, specifically within the Inspectorate of the Netherlands.

Promotor: M.A.G.J. Orrit

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Ubbink

Despite their ecological, cultural, and economic importance, lion (Panthera leo) populations in Kenya are declining rapidly due to retaliatory killings following livestock depredation, depletion of wild prey, habitat loss driven by human activities, climate change, and disease.

Op 11 juni 2020 verdedigde Sabine Witting haar proefschrift 'Child Sexual Abuse in the Digital Era: Rethinking Legal Frameworks and Transnational Law Enforcement Collaboration'. Het promotieonderzoek is begeleid door promotoren prof.mr. J.J. Sloth-Nielsen en prof.dr.mr. S. van der Hof.

Lezing

Leids onderzoek naar bestraffing komt tot stand uit verschillende disciplines. Het onderzoeksproject kent een juridische, criminologische, sociaalwetenschappelijke en filosofische invalshoek.

What holds people together and what makes them willing to fit within larger political structures? Our project examines this question in the practices of dynastic rulership in Eurasia ca. 1300-1800.

Deelproject van

Op 1 juni 2022 verdedigde Tom Herrenberg het proefschrift 'Prosecutorial Discretion in International Criminal Justice'. Het promotieonderzoek is begeleid door prof.dr. P.B. Cliteur en prof.dr. B.R. Rijpkema.

Researchers from the Department of Economics - Kees Goudswaard, Koen Caminada, Marike Knoef, Pierre Koning and Olaf van Vliet - have been awarded a grant of one million euros by Instituut Gak to investigate self-sufficiency and social protection.

Early time-resolved experiments by Frauenfelder on the ensemble of the kinetic rebinding of CO to myoglobin molecules resulted in a stretched exponential relaxa-tion due to a very large spread of the reaction rates of individual molecules.

The bacterial cell wall is a nearly universal structure that offers protection and gives the cell its shape. However, environmental stressors, such as cell wall-targeting antibiotics and hyperosmotic conditions, can induce bacteria to shift to a wall-deficient state. It is unknown whether the lack of…

Despite the fact that gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are one of the most studied nanoparticles, there is still a necessity for new approaches allowing for effective protective coating to enable wider use of GNPs in biomedical applications.

Promotores: Prof.dr. S.J. Edixhoven, Prof.dr. E. Ullmo (University Paris-Sud)

Striga hermonthica, commonly known as witchweed, infests major cereal crops in Sub-Saharan Africa causing severe yield losses and threatening the livelihood of millions of resource poor farmers.

The expanding population and economic activity are driving up global energy consumption. Simultaneously, there is an urgent need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources to mitigate the climate crisis, primarily caused by fossil fuel combustion.

One of the key discoveries in exoplanet research over the past decade is the abundance of small planets in our Milky Way. Despite their high numbers, our understanding of their atmospheres remains limited, and it is unknown if they possess atmospheres at all.

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

While ecosystems have concrete benefits for human society, these benefits are typically overlooked in decision-making.

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.M. van Ruitenbeek, Prof.dr. R.M. Tromp

This dissertation is organised into three parts, each addressing a distinct research area related to Gibbs measures.

Fundamental research in the ALgebra, Geometry And Number Theory

This thesis describes the design, characterization and application of dextran based crosslinked network.

In this work, I explore the creation of new methods that optimize simulations of the gravitational N-body problem. Specifically, I take advantage of the recent popularity of Machine Learning methods to find tools that can suit this problem.

Promotores: G.W. Canters, T.J. Aartsma

Hydrogen fuel cells are expected to be pivotal in the energetic transition towards renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. However, their industrial scalability is severely hindered by the high cost and degradation rate of platinum catalysts, one of their key components. Addressing this…

Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a gram-negative plant pathogen belonging to the family Rhizobiaceae, is the causative agent of crown gall disease, which can affect many plant species including agronomically important ones.

This thesis investigates opinion dynamics on random graphs through the lens of the voter model, a classical interacting particle system used to describe how consensus emerges in networks.

Green hydrogen is produced via a process called water electrolysis. During electrolysis water is split into oxygen and hydrogen.

This thesis advances our understanding of lipid uptake, a vital first step in lipid metabolism, by developing innovative click chemistry-based tools to study how immune cells internalize lipids.

A dense region of a gaseous and dusty cloud collapses to form a protostar surrounded by a disk and an envelope. This thesis uses both observations and models to study physical and chemical conditions of these protostellar systems which are likely where planets start to form.

Promotor: Roeland M.H. Merks

The research aims to explore the evolutionary adaptability of enzymes and the impact of temperature on protein evolution pathways, using M. tuberculosis β-lactamase BlaC as the object of study. Enzymes inherently embody a delicate balance between activity and stability, and the acquisition of new enzymatic…

The role of material production as a driver of environmental impacts is increasing, which calls for a better understanding of global material flows. This thesis explores the role of in-use stocks of products, buildings and infrastructure as a key driver of global material demand and discusses the implications…

Promotor: S.M. Verduyn Lunel, Co-promotor: S.C. Hille

Promotor: Prof.dr. M.L. van Heck, Co-Promotor: B.P. Tighe

Promotor: Prof.dr. F.S. de Boer, Co-promotor: D. Clarke

Solar energy harnessed by plants and algae has great potential to be converted into biofuels for future generations.

Promotor: Prof.dr. P.G.L. Klinkhamer, Co-Promotor: T.J. de Jong

Promotor: K.J. Batenburg, Co-promotor: A.W. van der Vaart, B. de Smit

Promotores: Prof.dr. H. van Veen & Prof.dr. W. de Boer (Wageningen University)

Promotor: Koen Kuijken Co-promotor: Henk Hoekstra

The effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB) remains a major challenge to global health.