Mycoheterotrophy is a particular mode of life in which plants obtain carbohydrates from their associated fungal partners, instead of by using photosynthesis.

Promotor: G.J. Kramer Co-Promotor: E.G.M. Kleijn

Large carnivores and humans, along with their livestock, have co-existed for thousands of years. However, human population growth and an increase in economic activities are modifying the landscape for large carnivores and their prey.

Promotor: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo

The rapidly increasing commercial application of metallic nanoparticles within products will inevitably enhance the amount of NPs being released into soil.

Promotores: Prof.dr. W.J.G.M. Peijnenburg & Dr. M.G. Vijver

Large carnivore population is globally declining as a result of the fragmentation of habitat, large prey depletion and retaliatory killing by pastoralists.

Promotores: E. van Dijk, G.R. de Snoo. Co-promotor: H. Staats

As a non-invasive genetic method, eDNA based approaches have become an important component of ecologists' and environmental managers' toolkits for biomonitoring in conservation and an increasingly important source of ecological knowledge.

Low-carbon (LE) technologies have a significant potential to reduce the total carbon emissions in China.

Promotores: Prof. dr. G.R. (Geert) de Snoo, Dr. E. (Ester) van der Voet

Overall dispersion in LCA as result of inherent uncertainties, spread and unrepresentativeness.

LCA has become an important method to study environmental impacts of human activities. Still, there are several methodological issues in LCA that can adversely affect the results reliability.

Promotor: G.R. de Snoo

PNEC-pro is a user-friendly screening tool for professionals dealing with the assessment of surface water quality. The tool calculates local, watertype specific no-effect concentrations (PNEC) of copper, lead, nickel and zinc based on biotic ligand models (BLMs).

This dissertation investigates the energy and material related impacts of the transition towards a low-carbon heating system in the Netherlands, in the context of its 2050 climate and circular economy policy goals.

Although nanoparticles are extensively used in various applications like consumer products and have most probably entered the environment, little is known about the effects of these particles on living organisms.

This thesis describes the genetic and prokaryotic diversity of giant barrel sponges.

Assessing the risks of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) solely on the basis of experimental assays is time-consuming, resource intensive, and constrained by ethical considerations (such as the principles of the 3Rs of animal testing). The adoption of computational toxicology in this field is a high p…

De Universiteit Leiden heeft onderzoeksinstituten gevestigd in Leiden en Den Haag.

Promotoren: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo en Dr. R. Heijungs

The demand for neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets is rapidly growing, while the neodymium supply chain is under pressure. Recycling can alleviate these issues. This thesis investigates the potential for deploying novel magnet recycling technologies and their environmental consequences.

Promotores: G. Persoon, R. Schefold

Food waste is a defining inefficiency of the modern food system, with profound implications for resource use, climate change, and circular economy transitions. This dissertation examines food waste through two complementary lenses: the prevention of avoidable food waste and the valorization of unavoidable…

Natural resources often stretch across borders that separate modern nation states. This can create conflict and limit opportunities for regulated consumption of their goods and services, but also provide opportunities for joint multinational efforts that exceed single country capabilities.

To meet the rising demand for minerals driven by the global shift to clean energy technologies, ensuring responsible and resilient supply chains is critical. Minerals like cobalt, lithium, and nickel for batteries, neodymium and zinc for wind turbines, and indium for solar panels are essential.

A sustainable resource management is an essential aspect to satisfy the current human needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

Material circularity and energy efficiency are highly relevant and intertwined issues for the transition towards a carbon-neutral and circular built environment. In the Netherlands, the building sector has been rendered a priority towards a circular and low-carbon society.

Animal diet studies are critical for understanding ecological processes such as trophic interactions, energy flow, and nutrient cycling. By examining what animals consume, ecologists gain insights into species specialization, predator-prey relationships, and ecosystem management.

Promotor: W.T. de Groot

Interdisciplinaire onderwijs- en onderzoeksprojecten

Dissolution processes – next to aggregation processes - play an important role for fate prediction and environmental risk assessment of metal-based nanoparticles (MNPs). It is challenging to predict the kinetics of the dissolution process of MNPs in complex systems such as we can find in in vivo and…

Globally and regionally, biodiversity is declining and there are shifts in species’ occurrences and functional traits.

This thesis explores how bees and hoverflies are distributed across the Dutch landscape and how ecological and landscape factors shape their occurrence.

This thesis addresses the challenge of sustainable urban development by analyzing the interplay between green and grey infrastructure to optimize resource use and ecosystem services.

Plastics have become an integral part of modern society due to their versatility and durability.

The global transition toward low-carbon energy systems and the rapid expansion of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, are reshaping how modern societies produce, move, and process energy and information.

Metal production is not only energy-intensive and a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but is also associated with other impacts affecting human health and ecosystems.

Promotor: G.R. de Snoo, W. Kustiawan, Co-promotor: H.H. de Iongh

Hydrogen-based fuels are regarded as promising candidates for decarbonizing the maritime shipping sector.

Promotor: Prof.dr. G.R. de Snoo, Co-promotor: R. Heijungs

Promotores: H.A. Udo de Haes, H.H.T. Prins, Co-promotor: H.H. de Iongh

Over the past two centuries, socioeconomic development has improved material living standards but has also intensified environmental pressures, including climate change and biodiversity loss.

Conventional food supplies procured from rural areas are increasingly vulnerable to disruptions caused by extreme weather, geopolitical instability, and logistical bottlenecks.

In het magazine Mezza van het AD vertelt hoogleraar Martina Vijver hoe haar werk bijdraagt aan een schonere toekomst, én waarom ze meer vrouwen in de wetenschap wil zien.

Gerard Persoon volgde zijn bachelor- en masteropleiding aan het Instituut Culturele antropologie en ontwikkelingssociologie van de Universiteit Leiden. Daarna werkte hij eerst een aantal jaren in Indonesië voor Buitenlandse Zaken en toen bijna 25 jaar bij het Centrum voor Milieukunde (CML). In die tijd…

Hoe beter het onderwijs voor leerlingen en studenten is, hoe steviger de basis die we ze geven voor hun verdere carrière. Zulk onderwijs vraagt om sterke docenten, en inzicht in manieren waarop leerlingen het beste kunnen worden ondersteund. Onderzoek aan Universiteit Leiden levert hieraan een bijdr…

Tijdens de afscheidsreceptie op 29 augustus neemt de Faculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen afscheid van decaan Geert de Snoo. Per 1 november 2019 vervolgt hij zijn weg als directeur van het Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO-KNAW). Collega’s vertellen over zijn betekenis voor de ecologie,…

Onderzoek naar bemiddeling en moderatie.

Onbemande luchtvaartuigen, vaak kortweg aangeduid als drones, zijn eenvoudig en goedkoop verkrijgbaar en alom wordt verwacht dat het civiele gebruik van drones door burgers, bedrijven en overheden de komende jaren enorm zal toenemen. Dit roept vragen op over wat technisch mogelijk is, wat juridisch…