Author Archives: Athene Donald

Why I Can’t Write Anything Funny about the REF

Posted on 15 August 2013 by Athene Donald

It’s the silly season, a time of year when many people are on holiday and usually big news tends to be in short supply other than the the annual excitement over A level grades. (Mind you, not so this year, when … Continue reading →

Posted in environment template, impact case studies, REF, Research, Science Funding | Comments Off on Why I Can’t Write Anything Funny about the REF

Standing up to the Bullies

Posted on 9 August 2013 by Athene Donald

The vile and criminal threats and harassment delivered to intelligent and outspoken women in the public eye through the medium of Twitter has been much discussed recently, from journalist Caroline Criado-Perez  to my Cambridge classicist friend and colleague Mary Beard.  … Continue reading →

Posted in apologies, bullying, complicit, Equality, harassment, Science Culture | Comments Off on Standing up to the Bullies

Eyeballing It

Posted on 5 August 2013 by Athene Donald

Luckily my experiences of A+E departments are limited, although I’ve spent plenty of time cycling across Cambridge to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the interests of research.  The site is expanding rapidly, with new buildings for different aspects of biomedical research springing … Continue reading →

Posted in A+E, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge life, cornea, detached vitreous | Comments Off on Eyeballing It

Mentoring: Getting Personal?

Posted on 30 July 2013 by Athene Donald

Should one worry about confidentiality in the context of a mentoring relationship? Should line managers be one’s mentor? These were amongst the questions posed during the panel discussion in which I participated (along with Lab Director Jim Smith and Anne … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, career progression, Communicating Science, mentor, Rosalind Franklin, wikipedia, Women in science | Comments Off on Mentoring: Getting Personal?

Knowing What You Know (and What You Don’t)

Posted on 24 July 2013 by Athene Donald

This whole blog of mine was meant to be about interdisciplinary science. At least, when I started it up, 3 years ago next month, that was what I had in mind as my major theme. In fact, like so much … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Physics, colour vision, History of Science, Interdisciplinary Science, James Clerk Maxwell, Physics of Life | Comments Off on Knowing What You Know (and What You Don’t)

Conferences, Childcare and Uncomfortable Stereotypes

Posted on 17 July 2013 by Athene Donald

The comment stream on my recent post  about the lack of female invited speakers at conferences was illuminating.  This lack of women on the conference podium appears not to stem simply from women not being invited, according to a recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, gender rejection sensitivity, invited speakers, sexism, Women in science | Comments Off on Conferences, Childcare and Uncomfortable Stereotypes

The Seven Ages of an Academic Scientist

Posted on 11 July 2013 by Athene Donald

I have been meaning to write about the seven ages of the academic scientist (to adapt Jacques speech from As You Like It) for a while, but I had a sneaking suspicion this might not be an entirely original idea. … Continue reading →

Posted in academic ladder, career progression, postdocs, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on The Seven Ages of an Academic Scientist

Banknote Battles

Posted on 5 July 2013 by Athene Donald

Last week I declined an invitation to go on Radio 4′s Today programme. I had good reasons for doing this, as I hope I’ll be able to convince you, but I still felt that I was letting the side down … Continue reading →

Posted in Bank of England, Doctor Who, Equality, Jane Austen, Radio 4 | Comments Off on Banknote Battles

Personal Tutors or Personal Responsibility

Posted on 30 June 2013 by Athene Donald

At every stage of one’s career one needs to know who to turn to for advice. This need doesn’t stop just because one is senior, but probably feels most overwhelming when first setting out. That crucial stage when newly independent, … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, career progression, mentors, Science Culture, Universities | Comments Off on Personal Tutors or Personal Responsibility

All Male Invited Speakers? It’s Complicated!

Posted on 24 June 2013 by Athene Donald

Some time ago I wrote about the complexities that may underlie all male short-lists for high-powered jobs. The scientific world is also full of justified angst about the disproportionate number of men who appear on conference platforms, particularly as invited … Continue reading →

Posted in all male shortlists, Equality, Hannah Dugdale, invited speakers, Julia Schroeder, Royal Society, Women in science | Comments Off on All Male Invited Speakers? It’s Complicated!