Author Archives: Athene Donald

Let’s Celebrate with UNESCO

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Athene Donald

Today, February 11th 2017, is the first UNESCO’s International Day of Women & Girls in Science. This is a day to remind ourselves not that ‘you’ve come a long way baby’ in the words of a now infamous advertisement campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Let’s Celebrate with UNESCO

Conspiracy or Cock-up?

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Athene Donald

Inclusivity seems something of a current buzzword. When Theresa May came to office she stated clearly in her first speech that ‘we won’t entrench the advantages of the fortunate few’. One of her immediate actions was to call for an … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Science Funding | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Cultural Values in a Time Warp

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Athene Donald

At the start of the year I wrote about my frustrations with the slow pace of change, specifically with regard to the situation for women in science in academia but also more broadly. This week I am forcibly reminded again … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Equality | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The ABC of panel scoring: Anchoring, Bias and Committee Procedures

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Athene Donald

Academic life is particularly full of rank ordered lists, even if they are frequently not transparently available. From undergraduate examinations to professorial promotions, from REF (and in future TEF) marks to grant-awarding panels, the scores matter. Anyone who has ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Funding | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Mentoring Matters, but for Whom?

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Athene Donald

In response to my recent post on New Year Frustrations, I received a tweet complaining that in this particular person’s university female postdocs contractually could not receive mentoring. That statement can be read in two ways: either that female postdocs … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Women in Science | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments