Monthly Archives: November 2017

Long Silences and the BSc Profile

Every summer I promise myself that I will start the Fall Semester so well prepared that I will not reach Christmas in a state of organizational meltdown, surrounded by backlogs of reviews, student projects waiting for feedback, unread literature, ungraded … Continue reading

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Joining the Dots

I’ve been in Paris this weekend, talking to a ‘Global Cambridge‘ event for alumni. Paris is a city of which I am inordinately fond – one of my unfulfilled dreams was to spend a sabbatical in the city so I … Continue reading

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Measurements: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Measuring us seems endemic to academic life now (as indeed to the NHS or local Councils or any other part of our civic society). The Forum for Responsible Research Metrics is charged with coming up with ways to use metrics … Continue reading

Posted in KEF, metrics, REF, Research, Science Culture, TEF, The Metric Tide | Comments Off on Measurements: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

To the end

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a Webstory. And that Webstory grew and prospered, at least for a time. And the Curator of the Webstory strove to breathe live into it, but with one … Continue reading

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Soul Music

We all have parts of our characters – beyond our work-face – that we feel are important to us. Be it that we like poetry, going for walks or collecting teaspoons, we feel this hobby or habit in part defines … Continue reading

Posted in Communicating Science, Desert Island Discs, piano, Radio 3 | Comments Off on Soul Music

In which we’re in business: Cat Zero officially for sale!

Just a quick note to say that my upcoming third lab lit novel, Cat Zero, is now available for pre-order on Amazons near and far (UK and USA)! Still with placeholder cover featuring the neighbour’s cat Sergei! There should be … Continue reading

Posted in Lablit, Writing | Comments Off on In which we’re in business: Cat Zero officially for sale!

Prayer works–or does it? Shall we ask the murdered?

No sooner had I penned my piece exposing the hypocrisy and weak-kneed leadership of Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, when he has made new headlines with another smug, holier-than-thou, awful and divisive statement–that is also wrong. Following the … Continue reading

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Days

Joshua is at that delightful age when he is yet too young to be able to reliably, unaided, clean and dress himself, yet old enough to resist getting ready to leave the house in the morning. When he was younger, … Continue reading

Posted in Joshua, Me, Nonsense, personal | Comments Off on Days

Getting to Grips with Writing

How did you feel when your supervisor first asked you to draft a piece of writing, whether it was a journal article or perhaps your thesis itself? Excited or terrified? Was it any different the next time and the next? … Continue reading

Posted in co-author, Communicating Science, communication, Lisa Emerson, Thesis | Comments Off on Getting to Grips with Writing

Paul Ryan, it’s time to go home

It has now been a full year since the elections that brought a morally reprehensible person into the White House. By now, any remaining negligible hope that the man who was elected president might “pivot” and show even a semblance … Continue reading

Posted in Donald Trump, election, hostage video, Jason Chaffetz, Mitt Romney, moral clarity, Paul Ryan, president, Republicans, tax reform, USA, White house | Comments Off on Paul Ryan, it’s time to go home