Computational thinking, programming, and algorithms form the basic of many of the things that are shaping our world, the way we work, interact, organize ourselves, and even spend our free time with social networks, streaming media, and games. And this transformation is far from being complete, it is…

Are you thinking about studying Computer Science? Learn more and watch the videos. Note: As of September 2025 you can also combine this master programme with the Business Studies specialisation.

PhD candidates carry out a programme of independent research and additional (limited) course work, culminating in production of a PhD thesis in typically 4 years.

The two-year master’s programme in Computer Science at Leiden University offers seven specialisations ranging from AI to Bioinformatics and Data Science. The programme combines excellent theoretical teaching with possibilities for applied work with industrial relevance.

LIACS is partner in the project 'Stereotyping in Computer Science.' The project is a collaboration between multiple universities and the Dutch national expert organization on girls/women and science/technology (VHTO), which will investigate the stereotypes that children hold about computer scientist…

We are becoming ever more dependent on automation systems in our daily lives. Computer Science is more than programming; you integrate maths and logic into the development of systems and solutions that can be applied in all fields - from business to healthcare.

Met de bachelorspecialisatie Informatica & Economie aan de Universiteit Leiden leer je waardevolle inzichten in de economie te combineren met (programmeer)vaardigheden en kennis uit de informatica.

The master's specialisation Data Science: Computer Science at Leiden University provides students thorough knowledge and understanding of statistical and computational aspects of data analysis, including their application in databases, advances in data mining, networks, pattern recognition, and deep…

The master’s specialisation Computer Science and Education at Leiden University prepares students to teach the subject of biology to secondary school students. The programme comprises a one-year Computer Science component, followed by an education component in the second year.

Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS)

The master’s specialisation Computer Science and Science Communication and Society at Leiden University bridges the gap between experts and the public by combining high quality research in computer science with extensive training in science communication.

Digital technology is changing academia and society at lightning speed. LIACS is in the midst of this with groundbreaking research into data processing and artificial intelligence (AI). It conducts a unique combination of fundamental and applied research into major issues facing academia and society…

The Leiden Computational Network Science Lab (CNS Lab) researches methods for knowledge discovery from real-world network data.

Promotor: Prof.dr. S. Haring

In a survey held last year by the publication Elsevier, Leiden's Computer Science programme was voted by students as the best university programme of its kind in the Netherlands. And the Rotterdam Economics programme was voted the best in its field. Leiden University now offers a combined study based…

Master Computer Science in Leiden nr.1 according to Elsevier

Leiden University and the Beijing Institute of Technology will be collaborating in the area of computer science teaching and research. One of the first outcomes of this collaboration will be a joint four-year bachelor's programme. Willem te Beest, Vice-President of the Executive Board, and Professor…

An international committee has assessed computer science research at all Dutch universities in the period 2009-2014. For its computer science research, Leiden was awarded the ‘highest’ mark (1) for relevance to society.

Design of a Linguistic System for Interstellar Communication Based on Logic

The Computer Systems, Imagery & media (CSI) research programme performs research on methods and techniques for the design, implementation and application of advanced computer systems, in particular parallel, distributed and embedded computer systems.

The fact that scientists are increasingly better able to access molecular cell and tissue data also brings with it a new challenge: how can scientists find the information they need for research among the vast amount of data available?

The master's specialisation Bioinformatics at Leiden University focuses on research, development and application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral and health data.

Research in the natural computing cluster covers theoretical foundations, the development of new algorithms, and interdisciplinary applications of natural computing methods.

Natural Computing investigates algorithms and phenonema based on nature to create better and new computer science innovations.

The master's specialisation Bioinformatics at Leiden University focuses on research, development and application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral and health data.

Computer Science on place 51 in QS World Universities Ranking 2011

Research in this group, headed by Gerard van Westen, focusses on computational methods integrated in different parts of the drug discovery process. More specifically, topics include innovative treatments for cancer, selectivity modeling, translational research, allosteric modulation, drug resistance…

This thesis covers several aspects of quantum algorithms for near-term quantum computers and its applications to quantum chemistry and material science.

Computational linguistics uses computational methods to help answer linguistics questions across a variety of topics.

We see computer programming as an essential skill. It enables you to be self-sufficient in building tools, processing data, visualizing research output, communicating research results, etc. Moreover, it empowers you to make beautiful things.

Research in the natural computing group covers theoretical foundations, the development of new algorithms, and interdisciplinary applications of natural computing methods.

Projects within the theme ‘Computational Biology’ aim to employ mathematical or computational dynamical modelling approaches to discover novel concepts that are important for drug development.

In this theme you will be supplied with a firm background in the core of current computational linguistics and a solid comprehension of its neighboring fields.

This dissertation focused on computational methods based on first principles calculations using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework. Emphasis was laid on affordable methods that can provide a tradeoff between computational expense and accuracy.

The worldwide race to the quantum computer is in full swing. This computer can take on computing tasks that we can only dream of today, such as finding proteins that can be used as medicines in seconds flat. Leiden physicists have discovered how the Majorana particle can be used as a building block…

Beowulf clusters looking for new frontiers.

Large-scale computing infrastructure, such as supercomputers, cluster, and clouds, are already pervasive, most members of our society interact with them daily: social networks, government services, media streaming services--all systems heavily interfacing with the members of our society--are powered…

In this work we describe three methods to improve the performance of Quantum Field Theory calculations.

We investigate reaction systems, a novel computational model gleaned from the biochemical reactions taking place in living cells and information processing in nature.

A high performance computer or supercomputer owes its massive processing capacity to the fact that it chops a single overarching task into a whole series of smaller tasks. It simultaneously tackles each of those smaller problems.

The research presented in this thesis concerns one of the most important questions in software engineering of our time: how can we make sure that software is free from memory safety bugs?

The Computer Support group provides dedicated support for the computing infrastructure of Leiden Observatory