Kaiser Spring Lectures
The Kaiser Spring Lectures is a series of lectures organized by Kaiser during the Spring. The lectures have been very successful since they were first organised in 2014. In this series of lectures we invite astronomers who will tell us all about their research.
Cosmic Connections
“Cosmic Connections: Bridging the Sciences of the Universe;
Science, and in particular astronomy, is not conducted alone. The theme
this year is all about the sciences we need in order to answer all the
contemporary questions about our universe. How do molecules in the
universe come to be? How do we control light in order to make new and
better telescopes? How did life develop in our solar system? How do we
handle terabytes of information about our universe? How can we read the
history of rocky planets from their surfaces? All of these questions can
only be answered by bringing together knowledge of all corners of the
sciences. With these lectures, we aim to highlight the fields that go
hand in hand with astronomy, which are so important to paint
the complete picture of our universe.“
Suzanne van Elten,
president of the Spring Lectures Committee 2025
Programme
“Big data” en het vinden van uitbijters in onze zoektocht naar lichtflitsen uit het heelal
Dr. Ziggy Pleunis – March 1st 2025 at 14:00
Planetary exploration and the search for life in our Solar System
Prof. dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund – March 15th 2025 at 14:00
De geologie van het zonnestelsel
Dr. Sebastiaan de Vet – March 22nd 2025 at 14:00
How photonics and sub-wavelength optics are shaping next-generation telescopes
Dhwanil Patel – April 5th 2025 at 14:00
All pictures are credited to NASA/ESA
Astrochemistry
Dr. Marie van de Sande – March 29th 2025 at 14:00
Support us!
We try to keep the Spring Lectures accesible to everyone by keeping the ticket prices as low as possible. If you wish to support us additionally, you can do so via the button below. We are very grateful!
DonateAmbassadors
“That Leiden is rightly City of Discoveries, is proven by the Kaiser Spring Lectures. A good reason to come to the beautiful Leiden Old Observatory.”
Drs. Henri J.J. Lenferink
Former Mayor of Leiden.
“Come hear these super interesting lectures! They are truly inspiring and accessible to anyone from any level.”
Prof. dr. ir. Hester Bijl
Rector Magnificus Leiden University
“Are you an adventurer? Come hear the Kaiser Spring Lectures, and hear the latest news about the James Webb Space Telescope and ELT!”
Prof. dr. Ewine van Dishoeck
Professor in Molecular Astrophysics
“The Kaiser Spring Lectures are a wonderful accesible way to learn more about the wonders of the universe.”
Prof. dr. Ignas Snellen
Scientific director, Professor in observational astrophysics
“Wonderful stories about today’s most exciting telescopes: how do they work and what will they discover?”
Prof. dr. Huub Röttgering
Professor in observational cosmology
“Spring: budding green, crocuses, easter, the Matthew Passion, and of course we can not forget the Kaiser Spring Lectures!”
Prof. dr. Frans van Lunteren
Professor in the history of science
About us
Spring Lectures Committee 2025
The Kaiser Spring Lectures is an initiative from Leiden University and the Astronomical Society ‘F. Kaiser’. This is a society for all astronomy students in Leiden, from first years to PhDs. L.A.D. ‘F. Kaiser’ is named after Frederik Kaiser, the first director and co-founder of the Old Observatory. The society organises many activities for students, from drinks and football tournaments to lectures and museum trips, which are all completely managed by students.
The Committee
Suzanne van Elten
Praeses
Hi! I’m Suzanne and I’m currently in my first year of the Astronomy Research master. My interests are very broad in astronomy but also in general – which is good, because I rarely get bored 🙂 This year I realized that I am particularly fascinated by spectroscopy of faraway galaxies: I love that we can observe effects on the tiniest scales that originate so far across the universe, and I am lucky to be doing this in my first research project. I joined the spring lectures committee because I want to contribute and participate more in the astronomy community and bring our enthusiasm to the general public. As praeses I keep an overview of everything that needs to be done for the spring lectures, I plan the meetings and make the agenda and make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Thema related fact: I think the surface of Europa is really cool. A very smooth layer of ice with a suspected ocean underneath: you can really let your imagination run wild thinking of what could be hiding under there.
Paul Baecke
Ab Actis & Assessor Logistics
Hi, I am Paul, ab-actis and assessor logistics, and currently in my second year in Astronomy and Science Communication. I am very curious about exo-planets and how to observe them using radio telescopes. I believe that astronomy is a field that resonates with a lot of people, so I am happy to bring these science topics and the research to the public. With my role in the committee, I will most likely be your contact person, as I oversee the communications and make sure that the logistics of our lectures run smoothly.
Theme related fact: The detection of phosphine on our neighbouring planet Venus caused a vivid discussion in the community and beyond. Even though this detection later turned out to be false, it introduced the concept of possible biosignatures that are astronomically very close to us.
Dhwanil Patel
Quaestor & Assessor Promo
Hello! I’m Dhwanil, a second-year master’s student specializing in astronomy and instrumentation. I’m particularly excited about how recent technological advancements are shaping the future of large observatories and pushing the limits of what can be explored in the Universe. My passion for astronomy and science drives me to share it with others, which is why I joined the Spring Lectures Committee. What could be better than discussing sciences in the springtime in the Netherlands? As assessor promo, I keep the socials up-to-date and reach out to our guests. I am also the Quaestor, which means I keep our finances in check.
Louise Diekema
Assessor Speakers
Hii, I’m Louise and I’m an astronomy bachelor student. I’m very interested in the way research is conducted, what instruments and missions we need to learn more about the universe. And how new theories are formed to explain how we were made. I joined the committee to help make current research more accessible and emphasize the need to keep investing in new discoveries. As accessor speakers, I am responsible for the contact with the speakers.
Theme related fact: My favorite indicator for life is also the most well-known one: the presence of liquid water on an exoplanet. While I strongly believe that life could exist in forms we don’t yet recognize, I think liquid water is the most important factor in the search for Earth-like life.
Retmer Tak
Assessor IT
Hoi! I’m Retmer, a second year astronomy and physics bachelor’s student. I’m really excited about our increasing ability to observe and learn about the universe. In particular, the recent developments in exoplanetary research are very interesting to me. I joined this committee because I wanted to get more familiar with Kaiser and help organise something meaningful. As Assessor IT, I make sure that everything related to the website and the ticket sales goes according to plan.
Theme related fact: My favourite algorithm is the Monte Carlo simulation. It always surprises me how much we can learn by just trying many random options and situations.
