Author Archives: Athene Donald

Creativity Mustn’t be Allowed to be Hijacked

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Athene Donald

 ‘In 2019, the “two cultures” described by CP Snow in 1959 will have finally ceased to have meaning.’ So said Russell Foster in a recent article in Wired. Russell is clearly an optimist and I fear I do not share … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Facing up to the Existence of the Jerk

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Athene Donald

As stories of harassment and bullying multiply in the media (social and otherwise), it is worth thinking about what it is in management and leadership that lets situations get out of hand. Too often I hear the phrase that someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Leadership | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Pyramid Schemes and the Book Cover Challenge

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Athene Donald

As a child I occasionally got sucked into a strange pyramid form of exchanging postcards, an old-fashioned form of chain mail (but not of the metal variety). The details escape me but the basic idea was that you contacted half … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Bad Week to be in Brussels

Posted on December 16, 2018 by Athene Donald

Historians of the future will no doubt make much of the UK’s political ramifications of the moment. This week has seen a particularly strange spectacle as the Tory party tears itself apart and the Labour party seems unable to sort … Continue reading →

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Loading the Women – or Not?

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Athene Donald

The question of what should the composition of any team ‘look’ like remains one I feel uncertain about. Whereas a list of a dozen invited speakers who are all males smacks of bias or incompetence rather than a true reflection … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , | 1 Comment