Author Archives: Athene Donald

Guilt on Saying No

Posted on 30 October 2026 by Athene Donald

Retirement is a strange state, at least for me. I’ve written recently about one aspect of it, looking at whether or not I had achieved anything like a coherent ‘portfolio’. Writing that previous blog reassured me I had not taken … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in careers, diaries, requests, school visits, Science Culture | Leave a comment

How to Communicate

Posted on 18 October 2026 by Athene Donald

I recently had the pleasure of attending a discussion about the future of science communication, mainly involving early career researchers who had already slotted some communication initiatives into their busy lives. There were many insights provided into ‘what works’, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, primary school, science festivals, Tik Tok | Leave a comment

Keeping On Keeping Going

Posted on 12 October 2026 by Athene Donald

Listening to a webinar regarding women in management, I was struck by the panellist who remarked in irritation how her boss had once said ‘you must not have had any problems’ en route to the role she had. She was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Marin Alsop, nobel prize, persistence, Sally Davies, Women in science | Leave a comment

Are You Confused?

Posted on 4 October 2026 by Athene Donald

Do you look at your life and wonder what you’re doing? Perhaps you’re too busy ever to step back and consider its balance: balance between work and your outside life, be it domestic or social; and/or balance between what you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Churchill College, Department for Education, education, job applications, Technician Commitment | Comments Off on Are You Confused?

Condescension

Posted on 13 September 2026 by Athene Donald

Janet Taylor’s (1804-1870) was not a name I was familiar with until rather recently. She was quite the pioneer, however, despite the hurdles she had to face as a woman committed to delivering improvements in navigation for British sailors. A … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Janet Taylor, mansplaining, Rebecca Solnit, titles, Women in science | Comments Off on Condescension

Alexander Borodin and the Education of Women

Posted on 29 August 2026 by Athene Donald

For those of a certain age who remember Chris Tarrant’s Who wants to be a millionaire?’, there was a moment when the contestant had reached the million dollar question which was: What was the composer Borodin’s profession? To me, that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in education, medical, Sofya Kavalevskya, St Petersburg, Women in science | Comments Off on Alexander Borodin and the Education of Women

Mentors in Passing

Posted on 23 August 2026 by Athene Donald

Recently I was approached by a young woman after a talk, requesting we met so I could give her some advice. In fact, I suspect she didn’t actually want advice, so much as reassurance that what she had in mind … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in advice, careers, mentoring, sponsor | Comments Off on Mentors in Passing

Steamboat Ladies

Posted on 14 August 2026 by Athene Donald

The University of Cambridge has not had a very good week or two in the media. I’m not going to enter that fray given how much has already been written and I’m a long way away from the details of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in BA, degrees, education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Cambridge, Women in science | Comments Off on Steamboat Ladies

How did we manage before the Internet?

Posted on 20 July 2026 by Athene Donald

If you’ve read George Eliot’s Middlemarch (the Guardian’s recent choice as the best novel in the English language), you will recognize the problem Mr Casaubon faced in trying to write his magnum opus, relying on multiple books in a range … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Aspasia, Hildegard of Bingen, HJ Mozans, JA Zahm, Research, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on How did we manage before the Internet?

Team Working and Loneliness

Posted on 12 July 2026 by Athene Donald

Some years ago, the Science Council created a list of ten different kinds of scientists, to showcase the fact that not every scientist does the same kind of work. Ranging from technician scientist to entrepreneur scientist via the more obvious … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in collaboration, Jenny Rohn, Science Council, Science Culture, Venki | Comments Off on Team Working and Loneliness