Author Archives: Athene Donald

The Trouble with Women

A couple of weeks ago I took part in a debate organised by the local chapter of the Triple Helix Society given the provocative title of ‘The Trouble with Women’, designed to debate why women are still found in such … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Equality, Women in Science | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Royal Society and Diversity

It is very easy to pillory long-established organisations for being insufficiently diverse. As a member of Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Royal Society, I see it all the time. It is assumed these venerable institutions are ‘bad’. It … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, Women in Science | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Royal Society and Diversity

Leadership from the Top

What will it take for true equality to occur, not just in academic science but in employment anywhere? One key aspect is that people at the top not just ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk’. So, when talking about … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Tea and Tradition

And the votes are in. The University of Cambridge Senate has just voted for its new Chancellor. Senate rarely votes about anything, and the last time a Chancellor’s nomination was put to such a vote was in 1847 when Prince … Continue reading

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Is this an Insoluble Problem?

Previous posts by fellow OT blogger Jenny Rohn (here and here) and me (here) about fellowship funding have sparked a lot of debate and interest. With the report that Science is Vital has just produced for David Willetts described in … Continue reading

Posted in Careers, Science Culture, Science Funding | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments