Law is well represented in the university research profile: Leiden Law School is involved in no less than 12 of the 15 interfaculty themes.
The university profiling initiative was introduced in 2025, bringing together 15 interdisciplinary themes across five research domains to improve the visibility and strategic positioning of Leiden University. Earlier this year, the various themes officially got underway, with leadership teams drawn from across the faculties. At our faculty, 12 researchers are involved as theme leads. You can find out who they are here.
Law at the heart of interfaculty collaboration
It comes as no surprise that Law is well represented among the themes. After all, the themes address the major societal challenges of our time, which inevitably give rise to legal questions and debates. Moreover, researchers from our faculty are already actively engaged in many of these themes, including migration, inequality, and geopolitics in Europe and around the world.
This was also evident at the annual Faculty Research Day (Toogdag) on 21 May, where the university-wide profiling of research strengths took centre stage this year. During the plenary session, 11 of the faculty's 12 theme leads presented the theme on which they are working. After their brief pitches, it was clear that the themes are at different stages of development: some build on years of established research, while others are starting almost from scratch. Yet the same pattern emerged across all themes: collaboration, mutual enrichment, and the search for a shared approach.
At the opening of the Toogdag, Dean Suzan Stoter said: 'We are delighted that our faculty is contributing to so many of these important university-wide themes. Interdisciplinary collaboration is part of our DNA, both as a faculty and as Leiden University.'
Visibility and impact
Our faculty's theme leads are working with colleagues from other faculties to help shape these themes through activities, research grant applications, publications and more. The aim is to increase visibility and impact by fostering collaboration across faculties and showcasing those efforts externally. This applies to both research and education.
The teams of theme leads are supported by a dedicated theme coordinator, who helps organise activities, monitor progress and maintain contacts with external stakeholders. Additional support is provided by the university's Profiling Core Team in collaboration with the faculties. The exact structure of this support, including the division of responsibilities, will take shape over the coming months.
Embedding the themes within the faculty
The interdisciplinary themes align closely with much of the teaching and research already taking place at Leiden Law School. We will embed these themes within the faculty and ensure their alignment with existing research programmes and faculty priorities, as well as with initiatives such as the sector plans in the social sciences and humanities domain. Within the Research Board, and with the upcoming research assessment in mind, making the connections and structure of our research more visible and coherent will be a key area of focus in the years ahead.
Getting involved
The hubs built around the themes will continue to expand, and several themes have already held their kick-off events. Everyone is warmly invited to get involved in one or more themes. The university profiling initiative is not intended as an additional task on top of existing responsibilities. Rather, it offers an excellent opportunity to showcase your own research and teaching, broaden your networks, and gain inspiration.
Reach out
A faculty landing page has been set up on the website, with each theme linking to its corresponding university-wide theme page (currently in development). Staff interested in getting involved are encouraged to contact the faculty theme lead or use the email address provided on the relevant university theme page.
