Young Academy Leiden
Newsletter - July 2026 |
In our final newsletter before the summer, we share a save-the-date for a new Community. Conversation. Connection.session, “Popping the Academic Bubble,” we provide an update on our recent event “Planning Meets Reality in Academia,” 📖 and highlight our Heineken Award winner 🏆 |
CCC: Popping the Academic Bubble: Expertise Meets Experience
Date: Oct 08 2026
Location: TBA
The Community. Conversation. Connection. series are lectures, debates and meetings about political and societal issues that impact the university community. On Oct 8, YAL organises a CCC event to explore the relationship between academic expertise and lived experience. Is there a gap between academic knowledge and practical experience? Who experiences this gap, and why? And most importantly, what can we do, individually and as a university community, to bridge this gap in a more inclusive and meaningful way?
More information will follow, but save the date! |
Looking back at 'Planning meets reality in Academia'
On June 2nd we organized an Interfaculty Lunch as part of the Spring of Time. Four YAL members took this literally and kept track of their time for a full week. They planned in advance what they expected to do on a day and at the end of the day they checked how this worked out. During the lunch, young academics present reflected on their agenda management and time blocking. This provided a moment for some to learn new outlook skills, while others realized that they were doing well in protecting their agenda. Some people enjoyed a daily commute with some off-time, while others used it as their most cherished mail- or paper-reading moment. In general we observed that no-one has to worry that they don't work enough hours, no week is typical and that keeping track once in a while provides an excellent reflection point. We look forward to the next lunch! |
| Things that might interest you: |
Video: Everyone’s a little bit autistic... aren’t they?
Autism: for some, ‘we’re all a little bit autistic’, whereas forothers it conjures upimages of mathematical geniuses or boys lacking empathy. In this video of theUniversity of the Netherlands, pedagogical scientist and YAL member Rachel Plak debunks these myths together with expert by experience Michelle. |
What do you think about your work-life balance? As part of their study 'Who stays, who goes' the national Young Academy has sent out a questionnaire to see how work-life dynamics affect different groups in academia. Read more about the study and complete the questionnaire here. |
Kiem grant Congratulations to all recipients of the 2026 KIEM grants for their interdisciplinary projects. This year, 108 teams involving at least two faculties submitted eligible applications. A record number for this last edition! During a live draw, 26 winning projects were selected. The funded projects will bring together colleagues from different faculties to tackle complex questions, many with clear societal relevance. Among the recipients is YAL member Julie Hall, whose project uses fMRI to investigate the neural correlates of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease. Other exciting projects can be found online! |
“Deze column is korter dan normaal. Dat leek me wel zo efficiënt”
 This month, Lieke Smits got access to an Exceltool and this spreadsheet unlocked her inner consultant. In her new column (in Dutch) she talks about (in)efficency and the lack of democratic process in universities that often leads to emergency meetings. |
Anne Urai receives 2026 Heineken Young Scientists Award for Social Sciences
We would like to congratulate Anne Urai, who was just awarded with the Heineken Young Scientists Award for Social Sciences. Her research combines cognitive neuroscience and computational modelling to uncover how the brain makes decisions, and she is increasingly applying these insights to understand how social influence can promote sustainable behaviour. The jury praised the originality, quality and societal impact of her work. |
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