Monthly Archives: May 2019

A Crisis in Mental Health in Academia?

Posted on 27 May 2019 by Athene Donald

It will surprise no one in academia to know that it is an environment that is stressful, frequently precarious and there never seem to be enough hours in the day. The HEPI report on mental health issues in academia by … Continue reading →

Posted in education, HEPI, Liz Morrish, suicide, well-being | Comments Off on A Crisis in Mental Health in Academia?

In which I assess

Posted on 21 May 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

There’s plenty more where that came from It’s that time of year – piles of booklets appearing on my desk faster than I can clear them out. Baffling handwriting, detailed rubrics, Excel spreadsheets, moderation sessions, similarity scores, pens of many … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, students, Teaching, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which I assess

The unsustainable goal of university ranking

Posted on 20 May 2019 by Stephen

Ranking organisations are seeking to diversify the measures use to evaluate universities. But without addressing the fundamental flaws in their methods, they will crush rather than embrace the rich complexity of our institutions of higher learning When the Times Higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Assessment, Science & Politics, Scientific Life | Comments Off on The unsustainable goal of university ranking

Letting It Go

Posted on 19 May 2019 by Athene Donald

To many people Steve Shirley is an early entrepreneur in software development who made a fortune; a woman who rebranded herself with a man’s name in order to avoid being ignored by the blue chip companies she wanted to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Angela Saini, autism, Charlotte Proudman, Equality, mental health, Steve Shirley | Comments Off on Letting It Go

Letting It Go

Posted on 19 May 2019 by Athene Donald

To many people Steve Shirley is an early entrepreneur in software development who made a fortune; a woman who rebranded herself with a man’s name in order to avoid being ignored by the blue chip companies she wanted to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Angela Saini, autism, Charlotte Proudman, Equality, mental health, Steve Shirley | Comments Off on Letting It Go

Friends with Benefits

Posted on 12 May 2019 by Athene Donald

A recent study shows – in Switzerland at least – that nominated referees judge grants more favourably than those unconnected with the applicant. I’m afraid I didn’t find the conclusion of the study a surprise. Additionally I suspect that having … Continue reading →

Posted in ERC, grants, Matthew effect, panels, referees, Science Culture, Science Funding | Comments Off on Friends with Benefits

The Twelfth of Never

Posted on 7 May 2019 by rpg

I may have mentioned once or twice the collaborative webstory that germinated a decade ago and half a world away (quite [lab-]literally). In fact, I’ve just found on my Mac a file from December 2006, with some notes on how … Continue reading →

Posted in A momentary lapse of reason, Writing | Comments Off on The Twelfth of Never

Telling A Life Story

Posted on 5 May 2019 by Athene Donald

It has been a while since I last posted on my blog. In part that was down to the Easter holidays, but more than that I think it was a combination of the exhaustion of the previous term, coupled with … Continue reading →

Posted in CV, family, resilience, Science Culture | Comments Off on Telling A Life Story