450 years of Leiden University: Nobel Prize winners (2)
Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university has seven faculties (six in Leiden and one in The Hague), with 33.701 students enrolled in 2025. The university boasts a wealth of Nobel Prize winners, namely 16 scientists who received this prize. This ninth blog covers: Nobel Prize winners (2).
Nobel
The Nobel Prize (Swedish: Nobelpriset, Norwegian: Nobelprisen) is an annual award for scientists who have made an outstanding achievement in the fields of physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine. There is also a Nobel Prize for authors who have made significant contributions to literature and for individuals who have contributed well to global peace. The prize has existed since 1895 and is named after the scientist Alfred Nobel.
The prize was conceived by Alfred Nobel. Nobel was a Swedish entrepreneur and inventor of many explosives. For instance, he is the inventor of dynamite. The invention and production of these explosives did not always go smoothly, and consequently, he was not very popular. His factories would occasionally explode, or people would die during the development of the products. He also had a few brothers who were entrepreneurs as well. When one of his older brothers, Ludwig, passed away, a newspaper article ran the headline: “Merchant of death is dead.” The newspaper had confused Ludwig and Alfred, but Alfred knew he had to do something to prevent this from happening again upon his actual death in the future. That is why he conceived the Nobel Prizes. He ensured that a portion of his fortune was spent on them. These prizes are still awarded every year and have become one of the most famous and important prizes in the world.
Nobel Prize winners
Willem Einthoven (Physiology/Medicine, 1924) Willem Einthoven, the inventor of the electrocardiograph (ECG), transformed medical diagnostics. His device made it possible to measure the electrical activity of the heart, an innovation that saves millions of lives today. He was a professor at Leiden University (1886–1927) and conducted his groundbreaking experiments.
See my earlier blog about Willem Einthoven in 2022:
https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2022/04/12/willem-einthoven-op-12-april-2022-in-leiden/
Albert Szent-Györgyi (Physiology/Medicine, 1937)
The discovery of vitamin C and its role in human metabolism earned Albert Szent-Györgyi the Nobel Prize. He spent two years as a visiting researcher in Leiden (1920–1922), where he refined his skills and made crucial strides in his research into nutrients and health.
Enrico Fermi (Physics, 1938)
Enrico Fermi, one of the fathers of nuclear physics, worked as a Rockefeller Fellow in Leiden in 1924. Here, he exchanged ideas with Leiden scientists and developed the foundations for his later work on nuclear fission, which would form the basis for both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. In the autumn of 1924, he studied with Paul Ehrenfest in Leiden, on the advice of George Uhlenbeck, whom he had met earlier in Rome and with whom he wrote two scientific papers. For Fermi, his stay in Leiden was an inspiring experience. For instance, Ehrenfest introduced him to Hendrik Lorentz and Albert Einstein, and he befriended a number of young physicists, such as Samuel Goudsmit and Jan Tinbergen. In 1938, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating the existence of new radioactive elements through irradiation with neutrons, and the associated discovery of nuclear reactions caused by slow neutrons.
Igor Tamm (Physics, 1958)
Nobel laureate Igor Tamm was known for his work on Cherenkov radiation. In 1928, he spent several months in Leiden as a visiting researcher. Here he collaborated with leading physicists and expanded his theoretical insights, which would later prove essential for nuclear physics.
Jan Tinbergen (Economics, 1969)
Jan Tinbergen, the first Nobel Prize winner in Economics, laid the foundation for modern economic modeling. He studied physics in Leiden (1921–1925), obtained his doctorate in 1929, and later became a professor. His analytical approach combined physical precision with economic issues and yielded new insights into policy and planning.
Nikolaas Tinbergen (Physiology/Medicine, 1973)
Nikolaas Tinbergen, Jan's brother, received the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in behavioral biology. He combined fieldwork with laboratory experiments and demonstrated how behavior develops. He studied and obtained his doctorate in Leiden, where he was also a professor for several years.
Tjalling Koopmans (Economics, 1975)
Tjalling Koopmans won the Nobel Prize for his research into the efficient use of resources in economics. He received his doctorate from Leiden University in 1936. His work in the field of optimization and linear programming has influenced diverse fields, from economics to logistics. In 1975, together with Leonid Kantorovitch, he won the Nobel Prize in Economics for their theoretical work on the optimal use of natural resources.
Nicolaas Bloembergen (Physics, 1981)
Nicolaas Bloembergen, a pioneer in laser and spectroscopy technology, received his PhD in Leiden in 1948. His work had a direct impact on optics and medical imaging. He later returned as Lorentz Professor to share his knowledge with the next generation of Leiden scientists. Bloembergen himself won the Nobel Prize in Physics for laser spectroscopy in 1981, together with Arthur Schawlow and Kai Siegbahn.
Niels Jerne (Physiology/Medicine, 1984)
Niels Jerne (immunologist) developed models that better understood and improved the immune system. He studied at Leiden University in 1930, where he developed his interest in biology and physiology. In 1984, together with Georges Köhler and César Milstein, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research on the immune system and the production of monoclonal antibodies. To be continued……
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