Author Archives: Athene Donald

Our Bullying Culture

Many of you will have already seen the OpEd I wrote in the Guardian last week on the subject of bullying and harassment in our universities. I was heartened by the response it received, in so far as it was … Continue reading

Posted in Athena Swan, Equality, intimidation, power, Science Culture | Comments Off on Our Bullying Culture

Resilience and the Nobel Prize

In case you’ve been asleep, this week has seen the number of scientific women winning Nobel prizes spike: two won this year. I don’t consider this simply as a moment of pure celebration for the cause of women in science, … Continue reading

Posted in Barbara McClintock, Cold Spring Harbour, Equality, Evelyn Fox Keller, maize, Research, transposition | Comments Off on Resilience and the Nobel Prize

What Does Creativity Mean to You?

When I was at school, careers’ advice – at least at my girls’ grammar school – was essentially non-existent. Perhaps boys’ schools did better; after all, for my generation of women, ‘careers’ weren’t a matter for serious concern. I certainly … Continue reading

Posted in Career advice, education, Lord Aberdare, Science Culture, William Blake | Comments Off on What Does Creativity Mean to You?

The Buzz of the New

The start of the academic year brings its own opportunity for new year’s resolutions. All the usual: drink less coffee, snack less between meals, waste less time reading peripherally-relevant websites and answer all emails within 24 hours. Just like calendar … Continue reading

Posted in academic year, education, sleep, Trinity Street | Comments Off on The Buzz of the New

Being Educated but not Inspired

I’ve been away for a few wonderful days exploring the streets (and art) of Paris, a city in which I always regret I have never lived – as opposed to visited many times. One of my unfulfilled dreams was to … Continue reading

Posted in education, inspiration, Paris, Tara Westover | Comments Off on Being Educated but not Inspired

Thinking about Everyone’s Health

My last post dealt with an almost trivial – although symptomatic – issue of everyday sexism. This one deals with something of rather larger magnitude, but one that is much lower beneath the radar than it warrants: health, and health … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, gender, Londa Schiebinger, MRC, Research, research design, wellcome | Comments Off on Thinking about Everyone’s Health

Come Fly with Me!

This week the Guardian ran a story which reeked of the Everyday Sexism Laura Bates has charted so excellently. The story referred to the airline TUI which had printed out badges to give to children boarding its flights. On one … Continue reading

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The Typical Image

In any bit of publicity, imagery is hugely important. What should you choose to illustrate your story? What does a typical audience look like? As a microscopist, I know all about the challenges of finding a ‘typical image’.

Posted in electron microscopy, Equality, gender balance, publicity material | Comments Off on The Typical Image

Getting the Balance Right

Without much fanfare, the allocations across the different research councils have just been announced until the end of the current spending round.  What processes went into making decisions about the distribution between the different research councils is not obvious, or … Continue reading

Posted in Biomedical Bubble, Commons Science Select Committee, James Wilsdon, Research, Richard Jones, Science Funding, Strength in Places Fund, UKRI | Comments Off on Getting the Balance Right

What makes for a Toxic Environment?

Toxic atmospheres have been in the news recently in the wake of an NHS report on a low-performing cardiac unit in London. All the articles I’ve read on this are short on detail of what actually happened. ‘Dark forces’ are … Continue reading

Posted in competition, Equality, harassment, head of department, Science Culture, working environment | Comments Off on What makes for a Toxic Environment?