Author Archives: Athene Donald

Interviews and Expectations

Posted on 27 January 2013 by Athene Donald

Today I was very saddened to read a graphical account by a blogger writing under the name of Zinemin, of an interview for an academic post she really wanted that had gone horribly wrong. Her experience sounded appalling, and quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, job interviews, Science Culture, Unconscious bias | Comments Off on Interviews and Expectations

Raising Expectations: Funders Get Tough(ish)

Posted on 22 January 2013 by Athene Donald

About 18 months ago, Dame Sally Davies, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, unilaterally raised the bar for Medical Schools wanting to apply to future rounds of funding through the Biomedical Research Centre scheme, demanding (in essence) that they obtain an … Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, Equality, funding, RCUK, Women in science | Comments Off on Raising Expectations: Funders Get Tough(ish)

Undue Influence?

Posted on 16 January 2013 by Athene Donald

If the newspapers are to be believed – and that’s a big if – then television has an awful lot to answer for when it comes to which university courses are over-subscribed. In quick succession last week, stories were run … Continue reading →

Posted in Brian Cox, careers, Careers advice, degree choice, education | Comments Off on Undue Influence?

Culture, Class and Quakers

Posted on 11 January 2013 by Athene Donald

Last week Melvyn Bragg ran a special series of In Our Time discussing the meaning of culture in both the past and present.  Because of the timing of the programme I rarely listen to it, although it’s great for listening … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, EB Tylor, education, Science Culture, Two Cultures | Comments Off on Culture, Class and Quakers

Is Removal of the Gender Pay Gap a Utilitarian Dream?

Posted on 6 January 2013 by Athene Donald

Last month the University of Cambridge published its latest Equal Pay Review, something it is now doing biennially (rather than annually) since things don’t change that drastically year on year. As in previous years, if you look at the average … Continue reading →

Posted in choicism, equal pay, Equality, job segregation | Comments Off on Is Removal of the Gender Pay Gap a Utilitarian Dream?

Classifying Group Leaders

Posted on 1 January 2013 by Athene Donald

It’s the season for lists: best photos of the year, best quotes, best-dressed (even worst-dressed) celebs, momentous moments – you name it, there’s probably a list for it somewhere on the web. Since I’ve just covered the other seasonal topic … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, HR, leadership, management, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Classifying Group Leaders

Charisma throughout a Convoluted Career

Posted on 27 December 2012 by Athene Donald

One of the joys of Christmas is having the time to reduce the number of unread books on one’s mental ‘to do’ list by a handful, although this is a good intention sometimes challenged by the gain of a few … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, ESPCI, Interdisciplinary Science, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Research, soft matter physics | Comments Off on Charisma throughout a Convoluted Career

Christmas Letters and Acronym Soup

Posted on 21 December 2012 by Athene Donald

It’s the time of year for writing those Chrismassy round robin letters – or rather it’s a week or two past it, but I am late as usual. I never write simply a single letter and copy it, but try … Continue reading →

Posted in committee membership, committee work, ERC, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Christmas Letters and Acronym Soup

So You Don’t Know What You Want To Do Next?

Posted on 14 December 2012 by Athene Donald

You are not alone! I suspect that most PhD students are uncertain, and if they think they know, it is probably because they assume, without necessarily considering the question at any length, that they will just continue on the academic … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, experience, luck, PhD | Comments Off on So You Don’t Know What You Want To Do Next?

Splattering Cream across Tradition

Posted on 9 December 2012 by Athene Donald

The Royal Institution is a venerable organisation: dating back to 1799, it is situated in an amazingly impressive building on Albemarle Street in London. This was the road that became the original one way street in order to cope with … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Physics, Communicating Science, Friday Evening Discourse, goo, Royal Institution | Comments Off on Splattering Cream across Tradition