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Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn
In which we keep below decks – for now
Everyone I know in academia is hanging by a thread. The profession has always been fraught, but in the past few years I’ve sensed an edge of desperation in many of my colleagues, especially those who heavily teach. We have … Continue reading Continue reading
In which no scientist is an island – but that’s what we signed up for
I’ve washed up on the shores of another weekend, almost limp after two weeks of protracted stress. Throughout this, my unsettled, cortisol-fuelled moods have mirrored the erratic nature of the recent weather: violent cloudbursts, hailstorms, rainbows, periods of brilliant sunshine … Continue reading Continue reading
In which the road forks and the future splinters
It’s that time of year when prospective undergraduates are considering their various offers to study at university. As the Admissions Tutor for a large BSc programme, I’ve been spending a lot of time fielding hundreds of queries by email. And … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in academia, careers, Nostalgia, Research, The profession of science, Women in science
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In which I come home
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been caught in the flurry of the early-spring conference season, crisscrossing continents to take part in that most ritualistic of scientific pastimes: networking, giving talks, sliding through poster sessions, drinking bad coffee from steel … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Joshua, Nostalgia, Research, The ageing process, The profession of science, work-life balance
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In which sadness serves a purpose
It’s one of those weekend afternoons when the garden is almost too beautiful. Too much. I sit here under a blanket on a deck chair in the blustery wind, trying to write, but all the songbirds have forgotten I’m here … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in art, Nostalgia, staring into the abyss, The ageing process, Writing
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In which we tell a story: on metaphors in science and life
There is such a stark divide between those who understand scientific complexity and those who urgently need or want to. The onus falls on the former to translate their messages in a comprehensible way. Perhaps it’s a radical claim, but … Continue reading Continue reading
In which we build the perfect scientist
They say it takes a village to raise a child. But I’ve been wondering recently what it takes to raise an independent scientist. Specifically, I’m thinking of the ‘valley of death’ between a postdoc and a well-functioning group leader with … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in academia, careers, Domestic bliss, Nostalgia, Research, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, work-life balance
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In which we’ve lost the scientific argument
Today in the United States, researchers are marching in Washington DC and across the country in a Stand Up for Science National Day of Action. Their problems are admittedly a lot heavier than ours here in the UK, although a … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Nostalgia, Policy, Politics, Science Is Vital, Science talking, students, Teaching
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In which I ponder: could scientific angst beat nuclear war in a fair fight?
When you are a scientist, your daily concerns revolve around mundane issues, so mundane that most normal people would struggle to recognise them as urgent: primarily funding woes, like I wrote about last week. But also publications, teaching, the dozen … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Politics, staring into the abyss, The profession of science
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In which we watch and wait
Precarity is the one constant of academic science. Themes of instability thread themselves through everything we do: experiments that inexplicably cannot be repeated. Once-sound theories that fall into pieces as a result. Job contracts that end after only a few … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in academia, careers, Research, Science Funding, staring into the abyss, The profession of science
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