Author Archives: Athene Donald

Quantitative Skills for All

Posted on 31 March 2012 by Athene Donald

What do social scientists need to know about science and maths? What should schools and universities be doing to make sure they have the necessary skills? This was at the heart of a recent meeting at the British Academy, where … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958 cohort, British Academy, education, John MacInnes, social science, statistics, Wolf Report | Comments Off on Quantitative Skills for All

Is (or was) your PhD an Ordeal?

Posted on 27 March 2012 by Athene Donald

If you answered yes to the question in the title, a recent report suggests you may be a chemist, and more specifically a female chemist.  A study carried out by the UKRC for the RSC about the PhD experience for … Continue reading →

Posted in career intentions, macho culture, Research, RSC, Science Culture, UKRC, Women in science | Comments Off on Is (or was) your PhD an Ordeal?

Taking Precautions

Posted on 22 March 2012 by Athene Donald

I have been reading the biography of Barbara Wootton by Ann Oakley. Baroness Wootton was a remarkable woman  (or, as the title of the book says, A Critical Woman), with an astonishing number of firsts to her name. Born in … Continue reading →

Posted in Baroness Wootton, lecturing, mishaps, Science Culture | Comments Off on Taking Precautions

Apple(s), Tomatoes, Willetts and Public Engagement

Posted on 16 March 2012 by Athene Donald

It’s National Science and Engineering Week in the UK, or at least it is for most places. In Cambridge we celebrate it with a fortnight, and call it a Festival because there is just so much to squeeze in.  Many … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Science Festival, Communicating Science, David Willetts, food manufacturing, Outreach, Science Funding | Comments Off on Apple(s), Tomatoes, Willetts and Public Engagement

Dangerous Assumptions

Posted on 11 March 2012 by Athene Donald

Last week I was put in touch with a reporter from my local newspaper, the Cambridge News, who was writing a story about the University’s Annual Report. They seemed concerned about the lack of women academic staff (and ethnic minorities) … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceci and WIlliams, Equality, first impressions, Unconscious bias, Wenneras and Wold, Women in science | Comments Off on Dangerous Assumptions

That Dratted Tenure Clock

Posted on 7 March 2012 by Athene Donald

Almost exactly a year ago I posted a blogpost on the back of wading through papers for a promotion panel. I’m buried in the paperwork again this year, but I’d like to put a very different emphasis on what I … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, maternity leave, paternity leave, promotions, tenure clock | Comments Off on That Dratted Tenure Clock

What Price Work Experience?

Posted on 3 March 2012 by Athene Donald

What do students know about life beyond academia? I touched on this in my last post, and this week two reports have been published which are relevant to this theme and the overall ‘student experience’, loosely interpreted. Vitae published a … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, education, Research, Sir Tim Wilson, Vitae, work experience | Comments Off on What Price Work Experience?

What Next and How to Get There

Posted on 27 February 2012 by Athene Donald

Last week I visited Edinburgh University to participate in their inaugural ‘Innovative Learning Week’. Whilst many universities, though not my own, have study weeks or mid-term breaks, I haven’t come across the idea of teaching a different kind of teaching … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, CV, education, job interviews, Research Concordat, Science Culture | Comments Off on What Next and How to Get There

Lesser? Spotted? Well, that’s just the Professors

Posted on 23 February 2012 by Athene Donald

This piece first appeared in Times Higher Education on February 23rd 2012 in their Off Piste series. As a child and teenager, I spent many happy hours in cold, wet and uncomfortable conditions peering through my binoculars at small dots … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, birdwatching, Hampstead Heath, ornithology, Peoplewatching, Science Culture, subliminal messages | Comments Off on Lesser? Spotted? Well, that’s just the Professors

Quotas, Good and Bad

Posted on 19 February 2012 by Athene Donald

I have always felt that the idea of quotas –  for increasing the number of women on FTSE100 Boards, for instance – is a bad idea because it implies women need help in order to get themselves into positions of … Continue reading →

Posted in appointment committees, Equality, EU, Nicole Dewandre, positive action, positive discrimination, Women in science | Comments Off on Quotas, Good and Bad