Author Archives: Athene Donald

Assertively Asking Questions

Different sources pointed me towards a paper appearing on the Arχiv this week discussing when and why men and women ask questions after a seminar presentation. A brief write up even appeared in The Economist, a sure indicator that a … Continue reading

Posted in Alecia Carter, conference, seminar, Women in science | Comments Off on Assertively Asking Questions

Inclusive Leadership

This week I attended an event in the University exploring, broadly speaking, how we can do ‘inclusive leadership’ better. Kicked off by a talk by  Barbara Stocking, President of the women’s college Murray Edwards, who was talking about the various … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, maternity leave, Recruitment, Science Culture, Unconscious bias | Comments Off on Inclusive Leadership

Industrial Strategy and the Pipeline of Talent

It was unfortunate that the Industrial Strategy White Paper was released on the same day as the Royal Engagement became public. It may not have been intended to be published on a ‘good day to bury bad news’, but it … Continue reading

Posted in computing, education, further maths, Industrial Strategy White Paper, productivity, Science Funding | Comments Off on Industrial Strategy and the Pipeline of Talent

Joining the Dots

I’ve been in Paris this weekend, talking to a ‘Global Cambridge‘ event for alumni. Paris is a city of which I am inordinately fond – one of my unfulfilled dreams was to spend a sabbatical in the city so I … Continue reading

Posted in Cambridge, careers, Paris, Policy, Science Culture | Comments Off on Joining the Dots

Measurements: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Measuring us seems endemic to academic life now (as indeed to the NHS or local Councils or any other part of our civic society). The Forum for Responsible Research Metrics is charged with coming up with ways to use metrics … Continue reading

Posted in KEF, metrics, REF, Research, Science Culture, TEF, The Metric Tide | Comments Off on Measurements: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Soul Music

We all have parts of our characters – beyond our work-face – that we feel are important to us. Be it that we like poetry, going for walks or collecting teaspoons, we feel this hobby or habit in part defines … Continue reading

Posted in Communicating Science, Desert Island Discs, piano, Radio 3 | Comments Off on Soul Music

Getting to Grips with Writing

How did you feel when your supervisor first asked you to draft a piece of writing, whether it was a journal article or perhaps your thesis itself? Excited or terrified? Was it any different the next time and the next? … Continue reading

Posted in co-author, Communicating Science, communication, Lisa Emerson, Thesis | Comments Off on Getting to Grips with Writing

Higher Education Through the Looking Glass

I feel as if the Higher Education sector has somehow stepped through Alice’s mirror. Everything is topsy-turvy and has been for some time.  It is hard to know where the next attack will come from. Labour peer Lord Adonis started … Continue reading

Posted in Brexit, Daily Mail, David Lammy, Festival of Ideas, Research, Science Funding | Comments Off on Higher Education Through the Looking Glass

It’s Time to Break the Silence

One of the pleasurable duties of being Master of a Cambridge College is getting a chance to talk to a wide cross section of people across the dinner table. This week it was the College’s Scholars’ Feast, a feast which … Continue reading

Posted in Barbara Stocking, education, Equality, harassment, sexual misconduct | Comments Off on It’s Time to Break the Silence

Thinking about Compassion

Compassion. That seems to be a word that is much in the air around me recently. I alluded to it in a recent post in the context of the need for self-control, but have discussed it more extensively in the … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, jerks, leadership, Science Culture, students | Comments Off on Thinking about Compassion