Author Archives: Athene Donald

Cold-calling in the Job Market

A week ago there was a minute cause for celebration with the news that the number of women on FTSE100 Boards of Directors had reached the stunning level of 19%. At least that figure is heading in the right direction … Continue reading

Posted in careers, confidence, Equality, gender pay gap, head hunters | Comments Off on Cold-calling in the Job Market

Turning the Mirror on Oneself

What do you see when you look in the mirror? This is the question underlying the What I See Project, conceived by Edwina Dunn. Her concern is that we live in a society where, for many women, when we look … Continue reading

Posted in Edwina Dunn, Equality, Frances Ashcroft, mirror, Selwyn College, What I See project, Women in science | Comments Off on Turning the Mirror on Oneself

Moving On (Part II)

As readers will know, improving the situation for women in science is dear to my heart. One of the roles in which I’ve been able to make some sort of a contribution has been through chairing the Athena Forum. This … Continue reading

Posted in Athena Forum, Athena Swan, Equality, pregnancy, Women in science | Comments Off on Moving On (Part II)

Moving On to Pastures New

Every student, undergraduate or postgraduate, at the University of Cambridge has to be a member of one of the university’s 31 colleges.  To outsiders the college system may seem a little mysterious: how do they differ from Halls of Residence … Continue reading

Posted in academia, Churchill College, Collegiate Cambridge, Girton College, Master, Robinson College | Comments Off on Moving On to Pastures New

Mammon and the Inferiority of Women

I’ve been reading another of those random books I’ve acquired in lieu of payment for a book review, something I wrote about previously. This time I want to turn my attention to a book called ‘The Spectacle of Intimacy: a … Continue reading

Posted in domestic hearth, Equality, History of Science, Sarah Stickney Ellis, Victorian, women's inferiority | Comments Off on Mammon and the Inferiority of Women

Is Helping Women such a Bad Thing to Do?

I am not infrequently asked to give talks at other universities about gender issues, including the work we are doing in Cambridge. (Strangely, I find myself doing quite as many of these sorts of talks as physics ones.) I would … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, Harvard Business School, intervention, positive action, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Is Helping Women such a Bad Thing to Do?

Don’t Say Too Much (or Too Little)

This week NESTA‘s Executive Director of Research Stian Westlake wrote a piece for the Guardian science policy blogs about those who offer scientific advice. If you want to find out why wonks should avoid being either a ‘berk’ or a … Continue reading

Posted in advice, Communicating Science, framing, PhD thesis, Science Culture | Comments Off on Don’t Say Too Much (or Too Little)

Thinking about your CV

There are many different ways of writing one’s CV, and hitting the right spot is not always straightforward. Speaking personally, the postdoc applicant who writes that they are ‘a highly motivated and aspirational individual, with a strong sense of self-worth … Continue reading

Posted in career progression, careers, CV, self-promotion, style | Comments Off on Thinking about your CV

Incompetence at the Top?

Last week an article entitled ‘Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?‘, published in the Harvard Business Review, was brought to my attention (thanks Kate Bellingham!). Written by a (male) Professor of Business Psychology at University College London (UCL), … Continue reading

Posted in education, Equality, gender stereotypes, leadership, Vice chancellor | Comments Off on Incompetence at the Top?

A levels, Cricket and Resilience

It’s that time of year again when exam results are forthcoming, making or apparently breaking many a child’s future aspirations. GCSE’s today, A levels last week. It seemed to me that the A level media over-excitement seemed less this year, … Continue reading

Posted in education, Science Culture | Comments Off on A levels, Cricket and Resilience