Author Archives: Athene Donald

Moving On (Part II)

Posted on 3 October 2013 by Athene Donald

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

Posted on 27 September 2013 by Athene Donald

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

Posted on 22 September 2013 by Athene Donald

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?

Posted on 13 September 2013 by Athene Donald

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)

Posted on 8 September 2013 by Athene Donald

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

Posted on 1 September 2013 by Athene Donald

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?

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Athene Donald

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

Posted on 22 August 2013 by Athene Donald

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

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