Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn

About Jennifer Rohn

Scientist, novelist, rock chick

In which I step out

Posted on 4 November 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

Six weeks into the big experiment, and I’m surfacing for a brief update. There is nothing I can say about new motherhood that has not been rehashed a million times, so on the topic of sleepless nights, lunching frantically on … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic bliss, Scientific thinking, The profession of science, Women in science | Comments Off on In which I step out

In which we make a move

Posted on 10 September 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

There’s a lot of change going on in my life right now, all at once. In addition to giving birth sometime in the next fortnight and needing to finish up a major piece of work-related writing before that, my lab … Continue reading →

Posted in Nostalgia, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which we make a move

In which I find ‘it’

Posted on 15 August 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

When I pictured my ‘adult’ life in academic science, it never looked anything like what it actually turned out to be. Trained as we are through the ranks, the neophyte scientist is constantly exposed to her bright future stretching ahead … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Women in science | Comments Off on In which I find ‘it’

In which a picture’s worth a thousand words – in any language

Posted on 11 July 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

Sometimes random consecutive events jibe in unexpectedly harmonious ways. When I returned to the lab from a well-earned holiday in Italy yesterday, the first thing I did was have a chat with one of our new summer students, a bright … Continue reading →

Posted in The profession of science | Comments Off on In which a picture’s worth a thousand words – in any language

In which we reach the brink – chemists add their voices

Posted on 6 June 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

As 26 June draws nigh, I’m starting to get a little nervous about the outcome of the UK Treasury’s decision on the 2015-2016 budget, which will decide how much public spending will be allocated to the science budget. Science is … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Funding, Science Is Vital | Comments Off on In which we reach the brink – chemists add their voices

In which the data get an outing

Posted on 31 May 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

For the past few weeks I’ve been traveling the globe at back-to-back conferences – hence the silence here. The conference universe has its own natural laws, and time flows differently as its strict routines overwrite all of your own normal … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Scientific method, Scientific thinking, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which the data get an outing

In which things flow naturally forward

Posted on 9 May 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

I’ve been pondering the impermanence of things lately. Maybe it all started with the departure of a well-liked clinical researcher from our lab, an OB/GYN with a sense of the absurd who never failed to make us laugh. Now when … Continue reading →

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In which it all goes a bit Hitchcock

Posted on 29 April 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

As I approach the door and reach for the knob, I find that my heart rate has accelerated. Behind me, one of our research nurses cowers a few paces back: she needs to get inside, but – quite understandably – … Continue reading →

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In which I dream of going viral

Posted on 3 April 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

In a post I wrote over on the Guardian yesterday, I made the comparison between early-career researchers and unknown musicians: But how does a younger scientist with a shorter track record, whose “excellence” might not yet be apparent, get his … Continue reading →

Posted in Health and safety gone mad, Science Funding, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which I dream of going viral

In which I cling on

Posted on 19 March 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

Recently I was kindly invited by the University of Southampton’s branch of the University and College Union to give a talk about the casualization of research jobs. ‘Casualization’ refers to the state whereby workers are employed in a disposable fashion … Continue reading →

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