Young Academy Leiden
Newsletter - December 2025 |
In this month’s newsletter: a quick recap of two recent events, an announcement about the upcoming strike, and a reminder to make take a break, and not just during the upcoming Christmas holidays!
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On November 18, we had another great Young Academy Leiden Interfaculty Lunch on Writing a book for general public. Leiden University LIACS colleague Thomas Moerland took a deep technical dive into the inner workings of artificial intelligence, and explained for a general audience how models (such as ChatGPT) are trained, why they make mistakes, and how to deal with practical safety concerns. Afterwards, the discussion revolved around the writing process of the book, and what practical matters to consider when writing a book for a general public. For those interested, and who could not join, this is where you can buy the book.
  
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The recent proposed budget cuts to higher education will have major consequences for teaching, research, and working conditions across universities. In these times of uncertainty it is important to put pressure on the coallition negotiations by stiking. We hope to see y'all at the protest at Dam square Amsterdam on Tuesday December 9 at 12:00 pm. Please help mobilize colleagues and students! YAL will be present. If you want to go together, let us know on the YAL Community Teams page.
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| There was a great turnout at the Knowledge Orchard, Leiden University’s new event aimed at inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, showing broad interest in working across disciplines, sharing tips and tools, and finding collaborators. YAL also took part in the event: Eduard Schmidt led a workshop on leadership in interdisciplinary teams, and Indira Day shared practical examples of interdisciplinary teaching. PhD students shared their experiences with doing interdisciplinary research during a roundtable discussion led by Martijn Nagtegaal and Indira Day. The day provided lots of input for future collaboration, inspiration for interdisciplinary education, and new contacts for continued partnership within and beyond the university. Have a look at the recap video here. |
Work pressure can motivate — but you still need time to recharge your batteries
A recent piece by Juriena de Vries on the staff site of Leiden University highlights important insights for all of us juggling research, teaching, and academic responsibilities. Especially on busy days, the moments when we feel “too busy for a break” are often exactly when we need one most. Short walks, social lunches with colleagues, creative hobbies, or simply a pause from the screen can help, and not just as optional extras, but as essential parts of sustainable work and well-being. We should be aware of the “recovery paradox” and encourage each other to take those small but crucial breaks.
This also aligns with YAL's Slow Science theme this year: taking time for reflection, depth, and quality rather than racing from task to task. Sustainable academic work is about doing things deliberately and with space to think. We encourage you to make this concrete by planning at least one intentional “slow moment” each week.
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