Author Archives: Athene Donald

Staffing Matters

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Athene Donald

How good are Universities as places of employment? The THE ran a couple of stories last week, headed ‘higher education staffing’, looking at the age distribution of academic staff, and the gender pay gap. I don’t think either of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Uncertainty is Not Terminal….

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Athene Donald

…it applies to life and it applies to tackling science. It was the phrase picked out by one tweeter from the speech I gave at the University of Exeter a couple of weeks ago when receiving, with some nervousness, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Work-Life Balance for Whom?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Athene Donald

Can women ‘have it all’ (i.e. have a family as well as a career) is a question frequently asked, and one Sally Feldman referred to in her article in last week’s Times Higher Education. Although the sub-title for her article … Continue reading →

Posted in Women in Science | Tagged , | 21 Comments

By Degrees

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Athene Donald

I’m reminded of the words of the Joni Mitchell song stating “I’ve looked at life from both sides now” as I consider my feelings regarding degree ceremonies. I think I have by now looked at graduation from just about every … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Universities | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

More Than Just Gender

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Athene Donald

Last week I attended an evening at the Royal Society, badged as a discussion between Vince Cable and the RS President Paul Nurse on ‘UK Research: building bridges, building prosperity’. In fact it wasn’t really a discussion at all, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Women in Science | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments