Author Archives: Athene Donald

Levelling up for Whom?

Posted on 31 May 2021 by Athene Donald

A recent HEPI report, written by Sarah Chaytor, Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid, all from UCL, considered aspects of levelling up and regional policy. Amongst their conclusions was that, despite what other commentators have said, the UK is not particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, East of England, Graene Reid, Science Funding, The Missing Four Billion | Comments Off on Levelling up for Whom?

Do you know Excellence when you see it?

Posted on 23 May 2021 by Athene Donald

Politicians toss around phrases like ‘levelling up’ and ‘build back better’, not to mention ‘freedom of speech’, with gay abandon. Such words sound so positive and authoritative, what could be the problem? As many people have pointed out, however, there … Continue reading →

Posted in bias, careers, ERC, grant-giving panels, Matthew effect, REF, Research, Science Funding | Comments Off on Do you know Excellence when you see it?

How Best to Tackle Bullying?

Posted on 17 May 2021 by Athene Donald

How can we make the university sector a more pleasant place to work? Bullying and harassment (whether of a sexual nature or not) are, it would appear, endemic across the higher education sector, for staff and students alike. Every survey … Continue reading →

Posted in Bystander, culture change, Science Culture, toxic culture change, wellcome, Women in science | Comments Off on How Best to Tackle Bullying?

Where are the Women of Yester Year?

Posted on 12 May 2021 by Athene Donald

A few weeks ago I wrote about Mary Astell, a woman from the seventeenth century whose interest and reading in natural philosophy/science was, as has recently become clear, much greater than had previously been attributed to her. I am intrigued … Continue reading →

Posted in Barbara Strozzi, composers, Equality, Music, Sally Beamish | Comments Off on Where are the Women of Yester Year?

Giving Due Credit

Posted on 25 April 2021 by Athene Donald

Due Credit When I was setting out as a young PI, the standard thing to do (on acetates, once we’d moved on from 35mm slides) was to acknowledge co-workers – students or postdocs, or wider collaborators – via a simple … Continue reading →

Posted in bad behaviour, conferences, Research, Science Culture, whistleblowing | Comments Off on Giving Due Credit

Red Tape

Posted on 28 March 2021 by Athene Donald

The announcement of a review of bureaucratic red tape in universities may bring either a smile of relief or a hollow laugh. Why are universities (and funding bodies) so entangled in this nasty stuff? Is it because they love to … Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, Equality, forms, panels, Science Culture, Science Funding, UKRI | Comments Off on Red Tape

Burnout

Posted on 21 March 2021 by Athene Donald

As we ‘celebrate’ the anniversary of the UK’s first national lockdown this week, reflection seems in order. Things that seemed unimaginable last March, we now take in our stride, in the sense that we simply get on with them. Coming … Continue reading →

Posted in education, kindness, pandemic, Science Culture, Spring | Comments Off on Burnout

How are Universities Supporting Those Worst Affected by the Pandemic?

Posted on 14 March 2021 by Athene Donald

This pandemic has thrown all kinds of inequalities into sharp focus, ranging from fundamental matters of health and wellbeing to job security. The consequences of all these issues will echo down the years ahead, long after the pandemic is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, Equality, Liverpool University, National Academy of Sciences, pandemic, tenure clock, Women in science | Comments Off on How are Universities Supporting Those Worst Affected by the Pandemic?

Women as Natural Philosophers: Choosing to Challenge

Posted on 8 March 2021 by Athene Donald

When the Royal Society was founded in 1660, its first Fellows would have been known not as scientists, but as natural philosophers. Science and scientists were words that came into common parlance only around two hundred years later. So, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Margaret Cavendish, Mary Astell, Rene Descartes, Women in science | Comments Off on Women as Natural Philosophers: Choosing to Challenge

Do You Cope with Office Politics or Leverage them?

Posted on 28 February 2021 by Athene Donald

In academia, appraisals (call them what you will) get different degrees of serious attention. Equally, people pay more or less heed to them, depending on personal circumstances and whether anything useful is said. However, a recent study shows that, as … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, confidence, Equality, feedback, implicit bias, Impostor syndrome, Science Culture, Stereotypes | Comments Off on Do You Cope with Office Politics or Leverage them?