The latest news about Radboud University.
Employees and students can find news in the news overview for staff and news overview for students.
Water, earth, fire, air: what the four elements in stories tell us about good and evil
People in both ancient and contemporary stories are often in conflict with the four elements: water, earth, fire and air. On 14 May researcher Sándor Chardonnens will discuss the construction of these fictional worlds at festival Novio Magica.
A unique achievement: two dissertation prizes for Charley Boerman
Charley Boerman, a former Radboud Univeristy (RICH) PhD student, has received both the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation Dissertation Prize 2026 and the Keetje Hodshon Dissertation Prize 2026 for her project "Framing famines".
NWO funding for research into the understudied impact of the Dutch slavery past
The project ‘Slavery past present: Dutch slavery and colonialism and their present-day impact’ aims to stimulate academic and applied research into the under-researched legacies of the Dutch colonial history of slavery.
How Indigenous knowledges can help solve our global problems
Stories about Native Americans are hugely popular, but they do not in any way reflect the reality of Indigenous peoples in North America. The book Voorbij Winnetou en Pocahontas dispels these misconceptions.
André Lardinois appointed member of the Academia Europaea
André Lardinois, vice dean of research at the Faculty of Arts, has been appointed member of the Academia Europaea.
OSL Valorisation Award for Radboud project Heritages of Hunger
The Heritages of Hunger research project has won the OSL Valorisation Award 2025. The teaching materials developed within the project make scientific research on famine directly accessible for primary education.
Pop-up exhibition 'Glimpses of Colonialism' on tour at Nijmegen City Library
Following glowing reviews, the pop-up exhibition ‘Glimpses of Colonialism’ will return to Nijmegen Public Library Mariënburg in April 2026. The mini-exhibition consists of a three-part series about missionary heritage from Suriname and Indonesia.
Ruben Ros on the shaping and meaning-making of (anti-politics) in the House of Representatives
A report of the meeting of research group The Eighties on Tuesday 10 March, with Ruben Ros as guest speaker on the shaping and meaning-making of (anti-)politics in the House of Representatives.
Sietske Fransen appointed professor by special appointment of Early Modern European Intellectual History
As of February 1, 2026, Sietske Fransen has been appointed professor by special appointment of Early Modern European Intellectual History, at the Faculty of Arts. This chair is financed by the Dr. C. Louise Thijssen-Schoute Stichting.
This is what Venezuela looks like three months after Trump’s intervention
At the start of this year, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was suddenly seized and arrested by the United States. What is the situation in Venezuela more than three months later?
Freedom, Democracy, and the Changing Constructions of Memory
From 9 to 13 March, the RUDESA Spring Academy 2026 brought together students from our American Studies programmes at Radboud University and the University of Duisburg-Essen to explore the theme ‘Freedom, democratisation and democracy under pressure’.
Author background influences literary debut prizes
Juries do not assess only the book itself, but also the author who wrote it. This is the conclusion of research conducted by PhD candidate Anne Oerlemans. As a result, some authors are less likely to win a literary prize.
Arts loves InScience
Researchers from Radboud University’s Faculty of Arts will contribute to the InScience Film Festival programme through lectures, discussions and expert panels on current themes such as transgender care, multilingualism and medieval magic and love.
This was a medieval person's idea of an ideal date
What were the expectations of people dating in the Middle Ages? Cécile de Morrée, literary historian at Radboud University, researched the matter and shares her discoveries in her book, Hoe dacht de middeleeuwer over de ideale date?
Which scientist will have a very own Klokhuis episode?
Economist Jorgo Goossens and historians Lotte Jensen and Adriaan Duiveman are in the running for the Klokhuis Science Prize. An episode of Klokhuis will be made with the winner.
How they celebrate carnival abroad
Below the rivers, it’s the time of year: carnival! Yet every carnival city has its own traditions. But what is it like abroad? In this edition of “What do scientists say about …”, three scholars reflect on carnival outside the Netherlands.
Surviving slavery: family ties were vital
Young children who grew up in slavery on Surinamese plantations were much more likely to die if they were without a mother. This is evident from a historical analysis of Surinamese slave registers.
Announcing the winner of the RICH Master's Thesis Award 2025
The winner of this year’s RICH Master's Thesis Award is Jakob Jung. The award consists of a certificate and a prize of 500 euros. With the award RICH aims to honour excellent research-based work by master's students.
Wim van Meurs wins Uteneng Prize for applied history 2025
Wim van Meurs, professor in Political History at Radboud University, won the Uteneng Prize for applied history 2025 with his project "Jewish Citizens in the Netherlands: Expropriation and Legal Redress".
Why Young Adult literature is not always taken seriously
Teachers could make more use of the possibilities of Young Adult (YA) literature. ‘Young Adult literature has a lot to offer and is popular among young people, but deserves more recognition,’ says researcher Linda Ackermans.