In 2024/2025 we start with six new interdisciplinary thesis labs.
The conditions for enrolment 24/25 are:
- We only admit students from Leiden University, Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam or students from hbo (universities of applied sciences) in Zuid-Holland.
- The lab is open to students with a diverse range of expertise. For example: natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, design, law, health, economics, management, humanities, philosophy, etc.
- You will work on your master thesis within the timeframe February to July 2025, with the possibility of starting your individual thesis somewhat earlier or later, if your study programme requires it.
- Preferably you start your thesis (preparation) somewhere between October 2024 and April 2025.
- Your thesis accounts for 10 to 60 EC.
- You find your own thesis supervisor(s) at your university. Supervision of your individual master thesis is not part of the LDE lab program.
- You are motivated to join the half year – extracurricular – interdisciplinary program and will attend all 11 bi-weekly in-person sessions.
- You agree with the workload of the program: approximately 60 hours in total
- At the end of the Lab program in July 2025, you will present data, results and/or conclusions from your thesis. You agree to prepare and share with us the following deliverables:
1. Individual thesis report (no later than November 2025).
2. An interdisciplinary result, with key takeaways for the case holder. You will create this with your lab team during the bi-weekly sessions and plenary session #7 and #10 of the program, and present this at the final event. This can be a white paper, pattern booklet, or other combined output that you agree upon with the case holder and your lab team.
3. Your contribution to the end presentation in July 2025: a presentation in some form of results of the Lab and/or preparing a conversation with different stakeholders. You will prepare for the conversation during one of the sessions of the program.
LDE CfS communicates about the Labs via news articles on our website, LinkedIn and Instagram. We will ask some students for an interview.
Certificate
- All students receive a Certificate of participation and a grade list from the Honours Academy Leiden, with a value of 2 EC.
- Students from Leiden University receive 2 EC on their Diploma Supplement as extracurricular activity.
The selection procedure is as follows:
- Interested? For the academic year 24/25 enrolment is CLOSED.
- We will let you know by email if you are invited to an interview.
- We organize online interviews of 20-25 minutes between October 21-25.
- If your study programme requires you to start your thesis earlier, please sent us an email so we can hold an interview earlier at your request.
- The interviews are conducted by the academic coordinator of the lab (LDE researcher) and LDE Centre for Sustainability hub coordinator.
- During the interviews, we will discuss:
- Your motivation: why do you want to join the Lab? Are you ready to commit to the lab program and to the extra work it requires? Will you be an active member of the interdisciplinary lab group?
- The assignment you’re applying for: does the assignment you’re applying for fit your curriculum? Do you already have ideas of what you would like to research in your thesis?
- Can we make an interdisciplinary team? We are looking for a team consisting of multiple LDE master programs.
- We will let you know if you are selected by email after the interviews.
- If you are selected, we ask you to find a thesis supervisor (if you haven’t already found one already). We also match you with the external case holder of the thesis assignment. Together with this case holder, your thesis supervisor and us you can start finetune your thesis assignment.
- In January 2025, we organize a short online meeting together with all the other Lab students, to get to know each other and ask questions. The Lab Program 2025 will start on February 5th, 2025.