# Press releases

**Source**: https://www.uva.nl/en/news-events/press-office/press-releases/press-releases.html
**Parent**: https://www.uva.nl/en/news-events/press-office/press-office.html

Results: 301 of 301

- [12 March 2026

  Who actually decides what a mosque in the Netherlands looks like? According to Joris Rijbroek, who has researched purpose-built mosques in the country, they are primarily the product of Dutch decision-making and much less of the religious wishes of Muslim communities. ‘It may be a mosque, but it ...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/03/purpose-built-mosques-tell-a-primarily-dutch-story.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [10 March 2026

  Humans are fundamentally “musical animals” – and our capacity for music is rooted in biology, not just culture. This is the conclusion of new work by UvA professor of Music Cognition Henkjan Honing. In ‘The Biology of Musicality’, published on 9 March in the journal Current Biology, Honing descri...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/03/from-speculation-to-science-humans-are-born-musical.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [5 March 2026

  Why are adolescents so sensitive to their peers’ behaviour? And is this sensitivity necessarily negative, as the term peer pressure often implies? In his PhD dissertation, UvA behavioural scientist Andrea Gradassi demonstrates that adolescents are particularly influenced by classmates to whom the...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/03/teenagers-dont-just-influence-each-other---they-learn-from-each-other.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [26 February 2026

  Medical procedures such as IVF are often seen as the solution to involuntary childlessness, while success rates are relatively low. Philosopher Gulzaar Barn of the University of Amsterdam states that we place too much weight on the promises of medical technology. “The causes of infertility and th...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/02/involuntary-childlessness-is-not-an-individual-problem-but-a-societal-issue.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [16 February 2026

  Groundbreaking Dutch study using linked healthcare and labor market data reveals the social costs of HIV and calls for reinforced prevention strategies.](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/02/the-economic-cost-of-hiv-new-study-quantifies-impact-on-work-and-income.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [12 February 2026

  Corals living in coastal bays with strongly fluctuating temperatures and environmental conditions are better able to withstand heat and other stressors than their counterparts on more stable reefs. This is shown by research conducted by marine biologist Sarah Solomon, whose work offers valuable i...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/01/corals-in-extreme-coastal-bays-show-greater-resilience-to-climate-stress.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [30 January 2026

  Academic and administrator Professor Vinod Subramaniam has been appointed the new president of the University of Amsterdam's Executive Board. He succeeds Edith Hooge, who stepped down as president in 2025. Rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek has served as interim president the past six months ad...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/01/uva-welcomes-vinod-subramaniam-as-new-president.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [30 January 2026

  The rector magnificus of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Prof. Peter-Paul Verbeek, has been elected president of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences). The KNAW made the announcement earlier today. Verbeek will hand over his UvA duties at the start of the academic year – d...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/01/uva-rector-peter-paul-verbeek-appointed-president-of-the-knaw.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [28 January 2026

  Children who quickly become angry or are easily frustrated, or those that react strongly to stress are often labelled "difficult". Their temperament is frequently seen as something innate or unchangeable. But that view is too simplistic, according to doctoral research by educationalist Marijke Hu...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/12/temperament-is-not-fixed-parents-have-more-influence-than-they-think.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [14 January 2026

  Hydrogen can play a key role in the Dutch energy transition. But determining precisely when and where to invest is difficult, as much remains uncertain. How will demand develop, for example? What infrastructure will be needed? You can't predict the future, but mathematical economist Justin Starre...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2026/01/a-smarter-way-of-dealing-with-green-hydrogen-uncertainty.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [17 December 2025

  Criminal networks are known for their ability to reorganise and continue operating even after major law enforcement crackdowns. New research from the University of Amsterdam’s Informatics Institute and Institute for Advanced Study shows why: the networks adapt in ways that reduce their visibility...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/could-police-crackdowns-actually-help-criminal-networks.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [16 December 2025

  We’ve almost all experienced it: you’re talking with someone in the offline world and a short while later you start seeing online ads relating to the topic of that conversation. Smartphones, apps and smart devices are more and more often leaving people with the uneasy sense that someone is monito...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/is-my-phone-listening-to-me-perceived-surveillance-in-a-digital-world.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [16 December 2025

  The commonly held image of a CEO is as a rational, self-interested ‘homo economicus’. But, according to research by business expert and PhD candidate Lisanne Veter, a CEO's life experience, values, family situation and personal qualities have a greater impact on strategic corporate decisions than...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/personal-characteristics-of-ceos-more-important-for-strategic-direction-than-previously-thought.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [11 December 2025

  Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed a self-help training programme to support older adults in dealing better with the many changes that come with ageing and in learning to set new goals. The training makes use of brain areas that remain relatively intact as we grow older and...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/tapping-into-the-strengths-of-the-ageing-brain-new-self-help-training-for-older-adults.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [11 December 2025

  When someone buys a T-shirt from Zara or H&M, they usually picture the following: a factory somewhere in Asia produces the garment, and the brand sells it to consumers in Europe. But between the two, there's often an invisible actor: the importer. Without insight into the entire supply chain, it ...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/the-forgotten-link-in-the-fashion-industry.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [9 December 2025

  Children often think AI is much smarter than they are. When AI does their homework, it has convincing answers to everything. But when it comes to reasoning with new information, children prove to have the upper hand. In a reasoning challenge between children, adults and AI, children easily defeat...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/an-8-year-old-defeats-ai.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [9 December 2025

  A new study led by the UvA suggests that even a fictional personality system, the Hogwarts houses from Harry Potter, can reveal meaningful patterns in real-world entrepreneurial mindsets. The research team, headed by Martin Obschonka, analysed nearly 800,000 responses to TIME Magazine Harry Potte...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/what-your-hogwarts-house-reveals-about-your-inner-entrepreneur.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [4 December 2025

  Real progress in oral health doesn’t come from expensive gadgets, but from better daily habits. That is the conclusion of dentist- periodontist Tim Thomassen in his dissertation Oral Disease Prevention, which he will defend on 12 December at the University of Amsterdam. In his research, he examin...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/brush-well---and-long-enough---for-a-healthy-mouth.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [3 December 2025

  Fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change, yet they remain a subject many countries refuse to address. This was once again evident during the recent climate summit in Brazil. But ignoring the issue is no longer an option, argue Professor Joyeeta Gupta and her team. They investigated how d...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/12/leave-fossil-fuels-in-the-ground-now.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)
- [25 November 2025

  Why do some people slowly slide into heavy substance use, while others maintain stable, moderate use for years? And why do drug problems sometimes spread like wildfire through communities? A new study from researchers at the University of Amsterdam offers fresh answers, thanks to a mathematical m...](https://www.uva.nl/en/content/news/press-releases/2025/11/new-model-shows-how-addiction-spreads---and-how-people-break-free.html?origin=zvuyIF7VQlmbnXJokCBg7g)