Author Archives: Athene Donald

Thinking about the Pipeline

Posted on 8 February 2014 by Athene Donald

A PhD should comprise both education and training. It should not be slave labour or done in blindness about where it might be leading. But I fear these statements don’t always apply. In the research grouping in which I sit … Continue reading →

Posted in Career advice, careers, PhD, Science Funding | Comments Off on Thinking about the Pipeline

Getting Away with It

Posted on 2 February 2014 by Athene Donald

Do you feel this phrase describes you as you go through your professional life? Do you feel as if you’re a fraud and whereas everyone else knows what they are doing or deserve the position they have attained, you don’t? … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Impostor syndrome, progression, self-confidence, Women in science | Comments Off on Getting Away with It

Winston Churchill and Science

Posted on 29 January 2014 by Athene Donald

Yet another anniversary for Winston Churchill has just past, with the 49th anniversary of his death falling on January 24th. I am, inevitably, more conscious of this than I would have been in times past, but it is interesting to … Continue reading →

Posted in bomb, Frederick Lindemann, HG Wells, History of Science, John Cockcroft | Comments Off on Winston Churchill and Science

The Cost of Speaking Out

Posted on 23 January 2014 by Athene Donald

The press (at least in the UK) has been full of the ‘Lord Rennard’ story this week. A man, hugely influential in building up the success of the LibDems but against whom four women (party activists) have spoken out, saying … Continue reading →

Posted in disclosure, Equality, harassment, Lord Rennard, Women in science | Comments Off on The Cost of Speaking Out

A Pensieve for your Thoughts

Posted on 18 January 2014 by Athene Donald

Last weekend my OT colleague Stephen Curry put up a thoughtful and thought-provoking post reflecting on the shortness of life, where his is going and other angst-inducing topics including obituaries, all provoked by the fact that he was approaching 50. … Continue reading →

Posted in JK Rowling, post-it notes, Science Culture | Comments Off on A Pensieve for your Thoughts

No Comment

Posted on 12 January 2014 by Athene Donald

Dear Reader I am going to make a complaint. This is a complaint directed to many of you, but by no means all, so bear with me. I know I am not the only blog-writer who feels this way, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Communicating Science, discussion, Science Culture, twitter | Comments Off on No Comment

Bust the Heroic Myth in Science

Posted on 5 January 2014 by Athene Donald

‘Paul Nurse believes in heroes of science’ was a line in my Twitter feed one morning recently ‘and so do I’ continued Roger Highfield, who gave the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Prize Lecture  at the Royal Society on this very topic last year. … Continue reading →

Posted in heroes, Paul Nurse, Peter Higgs, Research, Roger Highfield, Science Culture | Comments Off on Bust the Heroic Myth in Science

Science, Poetry and Gender

Posted on 1 January 2014 by Athene Donald

Not so long ago I gave a talk in Oxford about why I believe it is important for the public not to feel so distanced from science and maths that they are comfortable saying ‘I never could do maths at … Continue reading →

Posted in Caspar Henderson, Communicating Science, Mary Midgley, Nicholas Harberd, richard dawkins | Comments Off on Science, Poetry and Gender

Seasonal Lists (and the REF)

Posted on 28 December 2013 by Athene Donald

The end of the year is, by custom, the time for lists. Lists of best (or worst) photos, opening book sentences, or celebrity fashion faux pas; lists of those who died or those who made their film/book/TV/sporting debuts. Think of … Continue reading →

Posted in New Year, REF, Science Culture, twitter | Comments Off on Seasonal Lists (and the REF)

Party Time

Posted on 23 December 2013 by Athene Donald

Since it’s the festive season, at least in my part of the world, it seems appropriate to post about parties, but what follows is far from confined to Christmas, or the associated office party. It could just as well be … Continue reading →

Posted in guests, Life in Science, Peoplewatching | Comments Off on Party Time