Author Archives: Athene Donald

Trying Not to Discourage Others

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Athene Donald

What should one say to school children about to make university choices regarding life after school? Of course there are lots of positive things – clichés abound to supply them – but there are also the darker elements of the … Continue reading →

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How Groupthink Contributes to Harassment

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Athene Donald

I was recently challenged by a colleague after a meeting as to whether we had all been guilty more of ‘groupthink’ than was apparent at the time or that any of us would have wished. I’m not sure that I … Continue reading →

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Sausage Machines in the Academic Lab

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Athene Donald

There was a bit of a spat over Twitter last week regarding how many hours students (and postdocs) should be expected to do at the bench. This originated in a tweet from a professor of chemistry but I don’t think … Continue reading →

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Do You Know How Many Children Boris Has?

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Athene Donald

Today I was giving a talk within the University about building an inclusive workplace; more than just about gender, of course, but that is where the majority of my experience lies. There are so many obstacles, big and small, which … Continue reading →

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Who Do You Think You Are?

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Athene Donald

This is not about the TV programme of the same name. I would not be a good contender for that because, at least on one side of the family, I know quite a lot about my antecedents so I doubt … Continue reading →

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