Author Archives: Athene Donald

How Many ‘Firsts’ does it take to Change a System?

Posted on 13 October 2019 by Athene Donald

As the new academic year starts in Cambridge the University Library is  marking 150 years of women studying here, even if admission to degrees came much later in 1948. Collectively we can also note that for the first time essentially … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, gender pay gap, Lucy Marshall, Sally Davies, Sonita Alleyne, University Library, Women in science | Comments Off on How Many ‘Firsts’ does it take to Change a System?

Another Year, Another Speech

Posted on 5 October 2019 by Athene Donald

Writing and delivering uplifting speeches comes with the territory of being the head of an Oxbridge College. Although my interview for the position at Churchill did not require a dry run of this, to check that I was capable of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baroness Brenda Hale, Christopher Frayling, CP Snow, education, Freshers, stereotyping | Comments Off on Another Year, Another Speech

What Do We Know about the Research Ecosystem?

Posted on 1 October 2019 by Athene Donald

While funders make decisions about where their money goes, and PhD students decide what to study, with whom and where before they go on to wander along the career maze; while publishers decide who to publish and universities around the … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Equality, James Wilsdon, Research, RoRI, Science Culture | Comments Off on What Do We Know about the Research Ecosystem?

Talking Leadership in Toronto

Posted on 22 September 2019 by Athene Donald

I’ve recently been in North America meeting up with Churchill College alumni, flying into New York City and out from Toronto, with a delightful flight with gorgeous views over New England in between. It was rather exhausting but was also … Continue reading →

Posted in alumni, Bruce Simpson, Equality, Maggie Thatcher | Comments Off on Talking Leadership in Toronto

Red Lines Don’t Need to be Political

Posted on 8 September 2019 by Athene Donald

Despite the introductory couple of paragraphs, this is not meant as a political diatribe….it’s just hard to avoid parliamentary affairs currently. I did foreswear following Brexit news for several months after the last deadline in the spring for the sake … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, negotiation, resources, Science Culture, space | Comments Off on Red Lines Don’t Need to be Political

Trying Not to Discourage Others

Posted on 29 August 2019 by Athene Donald

What should one say to school children about to make university choices regarding life after school? Of course there are lots of positive things – clichés abound to supply them – but there are also the darker elements of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge admissions, education, Maths, sixth form choices, Women in science | Comments Off on Trying Not to Discourage Others

How Groupthink Contributes to Harassment

Posted on 7 August 2019 by Athene Donald

I was recently challenged by a colleague after a meeting as to whether we had all been guilty more of ‘groupthink’ than was apparent at the time or that any of us would have wished. I’m not sure that I … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, bystanders, consensus, Equality, Margaret Heffernan, Science Culture | Comments Off on How Groupthink Contributes to Harassment

Sausage Machines in the Academic Lab

Posted on 22 July 2019 by Athene Donald

There was a bit of a spat over Twitter last week regarding how many hours students (and postdocs) should be expected to do at the bench. This originated in a tweet from a professor of chemistry but I don’t think … Continue reading →

Posted in Phd student training, PhD students, Science Culture, Science Funding, skills | Comments Off on Sausage Machines in the Academic Lab

Do You Know How Many Children Boris Has?

Posted on 17 July 2019 by Athene Donald

Today I was giving a talk within the University about building an inclusive workplace; more than just about gender, of course, but that is where the majority of my experience lies. There are so many obstacles, big and small, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Dorothy Hodgkin, Equality, Inclusion, Ursula Von der Leyen | Comments Off on Do You Know How Many Children Boris Has?

Who Do You Think You Are?

Posted on 14 July 2019 by Athene Donald

This is not about the TV programme of the same name. I would not be a good contender for that because, at least on one side of the family, I know quite a lot about my antecedents so I doubt … Continue reading →

Posted in compliments, Impostor syndrome, poise, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Who Do You Think You Are?