Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn

About Jennifer Rohn

Scientist, novelist, rock chick

In which science policy suits up

Posted on 12 July 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

What must Britain do to retain its global scientific reputation in a changing world? This evening at the Royal Society, various men of science, industry and politics gave us their opinion (“UK Research: Building Bridges, Building Prosperity”). These included the … Continue reading →

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In which I am not worthy

Posted on 27 June 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

I am still pinching myself. The good folks from the Edinburgh Book Festival have invited me to get up on stage with one of my favorite authors, Neal Stephenson, to discuss the importance of science fiction on science fact. The … Continue reading →

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In which we look to the horizon: science is more vital than ever

Posted on 19 June 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

When Science Is Vital joined with hundreds of other organizations to successfully fend off threatened cuts to the science budget in 2010, the next Spending Review seemed aeons away. By now, of course, most scientists in Britain have heard the … Continue reading →

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In which the post-doctoral playing field is leveled – in one small corner

Posted on 31 May 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

The British governmental body responsible for funding research and postgraduate training in engineering and the physical sciences, known as the EPSRC, has been getting some bad press recently. But I couldn’t help being impressed by their new fellowship policy, which … Continue reading →

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In which science funding gets personal

Posted on 29 May 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

We are usually one step removed from the science that we fund. As taxpayers, we delegate to government bodies the decision about where and how much cash is allocated. Even if we give to specific charities, we can’t control which … Continue reading →

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In which they don’t make ‘em like they used to

Posted on 22 May 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

One of the annoying things about getting old is resenting change. So when you’re a scientist, it doesn’t help that the lab environment is one of the most mutable places on earth. New technology emerges all the time, and our … Continue reading →

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In which we fail to adhere

Posted on 8 May 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

I’m trundling along here in my new lab, still trying to get everything up and running. On the tissue culture front, things have been fraught for some time, what with delays installing the carbon dioxide and nitrogen tanks, with learning … Continue reading →

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In which we’d like to acknowledge what’s-his-name

Posted on 25 April 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

It is human nature to feel that you’re at the center of the universe, with all of life and experience revolving around your fixed point of view like a lazy orbit of galaxies. On a larger scale, this biased perspective … Continue reading →

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In which necessity’s a MoFo

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Reality check and status update: I’m still a lab head, and I’m still poor. But after knocking around in this new position for nearly three months, I have to admit that it’s rather good fun being poor. When you lack … Continue reading →

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In which we’re too close for comfort

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

It was always going to be a difficult relationship. We knew from the very start that they weren’t very well-suited. After all, they came from such different backgrounds. They were used to such radically different environments.

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