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Author Archives: Athene Donald
Whoever Said Life Is Fair?
Any parent will be familiar with a child’s endless whine that ‘it isn’t fair’ – that their sibling got the larger slice of cake or that their classmate’s bedtime is half an hour later than theirs. And the parent’s logical … Continue reading
Posted in Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships, Equality, funding, Science Funding, the Royal Society, University Research Fellowships, Women in science
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Do You Recognize this Person?
Since it is the vacation, and few committee meetings are being held, I thought now might be a good moment to revisit the characteristics of Committee Chairs I promised a little while ago . Given the timing, my colleagues are … Continue reading
Posted in committee meetings, decision-making, efficiency, Science Culture
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An Influx of Visitors
This week I found myself standing on the platform at Ely, changing trains there on a day when the trains were actually behaving for once. It was a beautiful summer’s evening, and staring out at the green fields across from … Continue reading
Posted in bicycles, Cambridge, Cambridge life, foreign language students, road-sense
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Interview Skills, Careers Advice and Social Mobility
Recently the Sutton Trust published an analysis of the relative successes different schools had in getting students into different universities: Oxbridge, the broader cohort of ‘top’ universities referred to as the Sutton 30, and universities overall. One of the schools … Continue reading
Posted in education, Equality, IAG, interviews, Oxbridge, role plays
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Myers-Briggs Tests and the Scientist
In business, much more than in academia, personality tests are used at different stages of progression. Additionally they can be used to identify what sort of career one is suited to. One common version is the Myers-Briggs test, which identifies … Continue reading
Posted in feeling, inspirational, personality types, Science Culture, speaking up, Women in science
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Mary Somerville
Somerville College in Oxford is much better known than the woman it was named after, Mary Somerville, an eminent scientist who had died 7 years before the founding of the college in 1879. Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was a polymath, an … Continue reading
Posted in 19th century science, History of Science, science writing, William Whewell, Women in science
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Hype, Impact and Direct Action
The issue of ‘impact’ appears here to stay in UK research. There has been much written about it, including by fellow OT blogger Stephen Curry here. With the draft guidelines for the REF about to be published, in which impact … Continue reading
Posted in Communicating Science, pathways to impact statements, press releases, Public Engagement, Research, Science Culture, Science Funding
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Victims and Support Systems
In my recent post on dealing with (or failing to do so) inappropriate remarks, the importance of mentoring was raised by Jenny Koenig. She said This is where mentoring is really important: to have someone else to listen and to … Continue reading
Posted in advice, harassment, mentors, Science Culture, support, Women in science
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For Women in Science (FWIS Fellowships)
Prizes for Women? Again? What more can I possibly have to say, having written twice (here and here) in different veins on this subject already. Tomorrow I chair the jury to judge this year’s L’Oreal/UNESCO For Women in Science UK … Continue reading
Posted in career progression, Communicating Science, Equality, L'Oreal For Women in Science, role models, Royal Society, Women in science
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What Will the Future Look Like?
What follows is a book review I have written for the Times Higher Education Supplement (THE) published today. Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 By Michio Kaku Allen … Continue reading
Posted in book review, Communicating Science, futuristic science, Michio Kaku, Research
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