Author Archives: Athene Donald

To Chair or not to Chair

Posted on 19 November 2016 by Athene Donald

I have been kicking around the university scene so long that I forget how mysterious some parts of my life may seem to those just starting out. I was rather startled to be asked by a student over dinner the … Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, Francis Cornford, Science Culture | Comments Off on To Chair or not to Chair

When the Going gets Tough, be Kind

Posted on 11 November 2016 by Athene Donald

In academia there is tremendous pressure to be permanently at the top of one’s game. One is expected to be able to perform across many fronts: lecturing, grant-writing, pastoral care, admissions, outreach, committees….Not only to perform, to excel in all … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, education, Equality, hate, misogyny | Comments Off on When the Going gets Tough, be Kind

Some Animals are More Equal than Others

Posted on 5 November 2016 by Athene Donald

This week I attended the Royal Society’s Diversity Day. As everyone remarked, the audience was indeed remarkably diverse. Signing of the talks for the hard-of-hearing was available and the standard white male was in (relatively) short supply both on the … Continue reading →

Posted in committees, Equality, George Orwell, Unconscious bias, Women in science | Comments Off on Some Animals are More Equal than Others

Harassment Must be Challenged

Posted on 27 October 2016 by Athene Donald

In some senses I am pleased to see increasing attention being given to the topic of sexual harassment in our universities. It would be good if such attention was unnecessary, but regrettably there is no point pretending that that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, NUS, Science Culture, UUK, Women in science, Zellick | Comments Off on Harassment Must be Challenged

Inspiring the Future (or Not)

Posted on 21 October 2016 by Athene Donald

How can children find out about life beyond school/university now that careers’ advice has been so drastically cut back? I have been involved with the charity Inspiring the Future for a number of years since the launch of the sister … Continue reading →

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The ‘Mine’s Bigger’ School of Science

Posted on 16 October 2016 by Athene Donald

I didn’t watch the second Trump-Clinton debate, but it is clear from all I’ve read that one of the former’s tactics to attempt to disconcert Clinton was to try to intimidate her physically – by sheer bulk and position on … Continue reading →

Posted in CV, diversity, Equality, ERC, grant income, h index, promotion, Science Culture | Comments Off on The ‘Mine’s Bigger’ School of Science

With Regret

Posted on 9 October 2016 by Athene Donald

It is always difficult to know when to say no, or enough is enough. Turning down or walking away from opportunities is a difficult thing to do, particularly when they are things you’d really like to do. But there comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Durham, Science Culture, Science Museum, Shildon, Wonderlab | Comments Off on With Regret

Warts and All

Posted on 2 October 2016 by Athene Donald

Are role models useful? What should they look like (metaphorically rather than literally; I’m not channelling dizzy blond here)? And how should they describe themselves? A recent article entitled ‘Successful women do not always make the best role models’ in … Continue reading →

Posted in role model, Science Culture, Sheryl Sandberg, superwoman, Women in science | Comments Off on Warts and All

Expectations

Posted on 25 September 2016 by Athene Donald

Nature this week published its annual (and international) survey on salaries. As the article points out, many respondents use the survey as a means of venting, so the survey also provides a snapshot of (self-selecting and therefore not necessarily representative) … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, careers, early career researchers, Royal Society, Science Culture | Comments Off on Expectations