Author Archives: Athene Donald

Taking the Chair (for the first time)

Sometimes things bring you up short in ways you weren’t expecting, and that happened this past week as I was trying to prepare for a talk. I’ve been asked to discuss my ‘leadership journey’ with a group of mid-career academics … Continue reading

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Equity for Women Around the World

It is always good to be stretched beyond one’s own comfort zone, even if by definition it is an uncomfortable thing to do. Recently, I found myself stepping up to the podium to talk following four successive philosophers, whose take … Continue reading

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Unintended Consequences

We appear to be living in a world currently beset by unintended consequences, or at least a world in which the main proponent does not seem to have thought about the consequences the rest of us now have to live … Continue reading

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There’s Always Another Forgotten Woman

It’s International Women’s Day and across the internet many stories will be spreading of amazing women – in science and in many other arenas – who either don’t, or haven’t, got the attention they deserve. The Royal Society is continuing … Continue reading

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Looking Back, Moving Forward

This post is crossposted from the Royal Society’s own blog, appearing on March 2nd 2026. From March 2025 to March 2026, The Royal Society has been commemorating the 80th anniversary of the election of the first women Fellows and honouring … Continue reading

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