Author Archives: Athene Donald

Fitting Interpersonal Skills into Academia

Posted on 9 June 2013 by Athene Donald

There is much talk in higher education about the importance of transferable skills. For a PhD student this means that you receive training in things beyond your own particular field of research. Typically this would include being required to consider … Continue reading →

Posted in management style, research student, Schlumberger Faculty of the Future, Science Culture, team building | Comments Off on Fitting Interpersonal Skills into Academia

Book Prizes, Gender and Personality

Posted on 5 June 2013 by Athene Donald

The long-list for the Royal Society Winton Book Prize was announced last week which, if the publishers blurbs listed in the write-up in the Guardian are to be believed, represent a real cornucopia of delightful reading. As it happens, I am … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communicating Science, EO White, Frank Fraser Darling, Peter Hoffman, Royal Society, Tim Birkhead | Comments Off on Book Prizes, Gender and Personality

Advice from the Great and Good

Posted on 31 May 2013 by Athene Donald

Not so long ago I stumbled across a very enthusiastic review of a new book by the renowned entomologist EO Wilson. The book was not about ants as such, his speciality, but its content can be deduced from the title: … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, book review, career progression, EO Wilson, Peter Medawar, Science Culture | Comments Off on Advice from the Great and Good

Impact for Women

Posted on 24 May 2013 by Athene Donald

Next week I am due to share a platform with Dave Delpy, CEO of the EPSRC amongst others, discussing the ‘Impact of Impact’. This is an event organised by a new student body, the Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange. … Continue reading →

Posted in career progression, child care, Equality, promotion, Science Funding, Women in science | Comments Off on Impact for Women

Muddled Mess or Merely Work in Progress?

Posted on 19 May 2013 by Athene Donald

What do our surroundings say about us? If we choose to work in an office strewn with bits of paper, open files, journals and other debris, is this a testament to the fact our minds are on higher things and … Continue reading →

Posted in desks, offices, REF, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Muddled Mess or Merely Work in Progress?

Will This Look Good on my CV?

Posted on 14 May 2013 by Athene Donald

This is a question I was asked recently in the context of outreach work (I answered yes), but it applies across the board. For those climbing the academic ladder specifically, it perhaps amounts to ‘does anything other than research count?’ … Continue reading →

Posted in career progression, commitee membership, Equality, experience, promotion | Comments Off on Will This Look Good on my CV?

The Viva Experience

Posted on 8 May 2013 by Athene Donald

I’ve seen a few posts around recently from anxious PhD students approaching their vivas in fear and trepidation or discussing the experience in the immediate aftermath. For instance, here is @hapsci discussing things after the event in a state of … Continue reading →

Posted in exam performance, PhD, PhD thesis, Research | Comments Off on The Viva Experience

Once Absence of Impact used to be the Fashionable Thing to Claim

Posted on 2 May 2013 by Athene Donald

Up and down the land, academics from Vice Chancellors down are sweating over 3 letters: REF. This dread acronym, standing for the Research Excellence Framework, must be absorbing a fantastic number of hours of time for many people and it … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science, impact, Jan Golinski, REF, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Once Absence of Impact used to be the Fashionable Thing to Claim

Changing the Departmental Mind-set

Posted on 25 April 2013 by Athene Donald

Another bumper batch of Athena Swan awards have just been announced: ever more universities and departments are participating. With the hint of financial consequences looming from RCUK funders for those STEM departments that don’t demonstrate commitment to improving the climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, gender equality, leadership, promotion, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Changing the Departmental Mind-set

Practice, Practice, Practice: Getting that Talk Right

Posted on 18 April 2013 by Athene Donald

As my last post noted, my mind is inclined to go for a walk during seminars if I’m not careful. Recently these wanderings provoked me to consider all the pitfalls of seminar-giving – by young and old alike. Experience doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in public speaking, Science Culture, seminars | Comments Off on Practice, Practice, Practice: Getting that Talk Right