Category Archives: Research

When Your PhD Goes Wrong

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Athene Donald

There is no point pretending that research often doesn’t pan out the way one hopes and dreams about. All kinds of things can go wrong in both the short and long term, and these are not always your own fault … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Depersonalising the REF

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Athene Donald

Successive rounds of the RAE and its successor REF have always caused high levels of stress and anxiety. The associated workload is very substantial for institutions (and many individuals); the stakes are high in terms of both reputation and funding. … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Culture, Science Funding | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Thinking Longitudinally and Long-term

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Athene Donald

There are many things we take for granted these days that were once mysteries. To take a specific example, relevant to the rest of this post, I’d include the fact that smoking during pregnancy has implications for both the immediate … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Culture | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Thinking Longitudinally and Long-term

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