Author Archives: Athene Donald

Choosing your Path, Seizing Opportunities

Posted on 11 November 2015 by Athene Donald

I gave a talk today with this title at the Institute of Physics’ Careers Day ‘Taking Control of Your Career as a Female Physicist’. What I said is relevant to anyone setting out regardless of gender and, I suspect, regardless … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, failure, opportunities, resilience, Science Culture | Comments Off on Choosing your Path, Seizing Opportunities

Eradicating Gender Stereotyping: How can Athena Swan Awards Help?

Posted on 6 November 2015 by Athene Donald

There is nothing like seeing gender stereotyping through reverse eyes to highlight its stupidity. Women are used to intrusive, inappropriate questions about their looks and dress, even in professional situations (see this recent story about Russian astronauts for an example); … Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, committees, leadership, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Eradicating Gender Stereotyping: How can Athena Swan Awards Help?

Lisa Jardine, Health and Sickness

Posted on 1 November 2015 by Athene Donald

Like so many others, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Lisa Jardine last week. She seems to have been able to cross many disciplinary boundaries and make an impact on so many individuals and spheres, her … Continue reading →

Posted in hospital, injury, Lisa Jardine, People | Comments Off on Lisa Jardine, Health and Sickness

Asking the Right Questions

Posted on 25 October 2015 by Athene Donald

The quote from CP Scott, long-time editor of the (Manchester) Guardian, elegantly says ‘Comment is free, but facts are sacred.’ As a scientist I like gathering evidence, getting at the facts and so, when Paige Brown Jarreau asked me to … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, hypotheses, interviews, Science Culture | Comments Off on Asking the Right Questions

Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking anyone who has reached the top of their particular tree has travelled in a straight line from their teenage years on and have had the cards always stacked … Continue reading →

Posted in career breaks, career paths, Carol Robinson, education, Janet Smith, Manchester | Comments Off on Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Posted on 11 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Ada Lovelace Day (on Tuesday) is not just a day for celebrating one remarkable aristocratic woman who dared to break the mould the majority of her female colleagues were content to slot into, it is a day to look forward … Continue reading →

Posted in #Just1Action4WIS, Ada Lovelace, Equality, ERC, microinequities, stereotyping, Women in science | Comments Off on Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

Posted on 6 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Wherever I turn currently I seem to come up against the questions that assessing interdisciplinary research throws up. Nature recently had a special issue highlighting some of the challenges and rewards, but taking a very broad brush approach. Its editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, ERC, Interdisciplinary Science, refereeing, Research Councils, Science Funding | Comments Off on Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

The Fresher’s Balancing Act

Posted on 1 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It’s the start of another academic year. For some universities, students have been in residence for some time; for others, such as Cambridge, freshers (undergraduates and graduates) are only now arriving. That of course goes for ‘Heads of House’ too, … Continue reading →

Posted in education, experience, sleep, undergraduate, university | Comments Off on The Fresher’s Balancing Act

Can We Get Beyond Quotas?

Posted on 26 September 2015 by Athene Donald

As people talk increasingly about the need for quotas of women on Boards and senior management teams of different kinds, it is worth considering not only whether this is desirable but whether it is viable. I am prompted to ask … Continue reading →

Posted in committee membership, Equality, head hunters, nominations, Women in science | Comments Off on Can We Get Beyond Quotas?

Why so Few (Still)?

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Athene Donald

If you ask a kid to draw a scientist, very often they will draw a ‘mad’ scientist with sticking up hair in a white lab coat, probably holding a test tube containing some evil-looking smoking liquid: an amalgam of Einstein … Continue reading →

Posted in Change then Numbers, Elizabeth Blackburn, Equality, L'Oreal For Women in Science, nobel prize, UNESCO, Women in science | Comments Off on Why so Few (Still)?