Category Archives: Research

Kidding Yourself (The Impact Saga Continues)

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Athene Donald

This weekend I was persuaded by a member of my family to enter a local Parkrun. If, like me, you haven’t come across these before, I should say they offer weekly timed 5k runs at local venues. You just register, … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Education, Research, Science Funding | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Evolution

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Athene Donald

No, not in the Darwinian sense but more in a socio-cultural one. This week I am at an annual conference that I have been attending on and off (but more on) for nearly 30 years, which is a rather sobering … Continue reading →

Posted in Interdisciplinary Science, Research, Science Culture | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Surviving the Postdoc Experience – or Not

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Athene Donald

Last night I talked at an RSC/IOP event launching a report (Mapping the Future: Physics and Chemistry Researchers’ Experiences and Career Intentions) based on a survey of 776 postdocs. The report illustrates some interesting differences between the cultures experienced in … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Indigestible Committee Paperwork

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Athene Donald

Each summer it is standard for publications to produce lists of exam howlers to remind us just how woefully ignorant some of our students are at all levels. I have never seen a list of comparable statements regarding crass errors … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Research, Science Funding | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Publish and Be Damned

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Athene Donald

In this age of h indices and impact factors, the choice of where to publish seems to get ever more important and complex.  It used to be, as a physicist, the place to publish was PRL – or at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Physics, Communicating Science, Interdisciplinary Science, Research | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments