Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn

About Jennifer Rohn

Scientist, novelist, rock chick

In which I ponder the new Two Cultures

Posted on 1 March 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Given the recent trendiness of science/art/lit projects, and the grant money and audience interest they can pull in, CP Snow’s notion of ‘the Two Cultures’ is starting to feel a little bit antiquated. But I do sometimes wonder if a … Continue reading →

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

Posted on 21 February 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Even though I initially trained as a virologist, it’s a little known factoid that I did my PhD in an old-fashioned Microbiology department – back in the days when “microbiology” really meant “bacteria”. We virologists populated a small unfashionable pocket … Continue reading →

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In which I sort it out

Posted on 9 February 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

All of my professional life, I’ve worked in affluent labs – in academic groups bolstered by multiple sources of grant money, or in a biotech setting flush with investor capital. More recently, I’ve enjoyed a generous personal consumables budget courtesy … Continue reading →

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In which I move on

Posted on 27 January 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

I have always been fascinated by microorganisms and the many strategies they use to subvert the host cells that they parasitize. For me, the most interesting aspect of infection is the interface between the invader and its victim – the … Continue reading →

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In which I offer one little reason

Posted on 19 January 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

A certain impending – and exciting – move has left me with no time to blog. Tomorrow is my last day, and after a week of holiday, I’ll be flying North (but only about 3 km) to start up a … Continue reading →

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In which not much is left to the imagination [16]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Here’s a sign I snapped during my post-Christmas holiday in Yorkshire. Can you spot what’s wrong with it? It is a classic example of a violation of a rule that fiction writers refer to as “Show, Not Tell”.

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In which we are the last man standing [4]

Posted on 23 December 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

You know it’s the last day before Christmas break when: 1. All of the communal microscopes are free, so you can run lots of parallel experiments. 2. Whenever you enter a room or corridor, the automatic lights flicker on.

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In which we down a few [14]

Posted on 9 December 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

It seems like only yesterday that Nature Network, in what struck me as a bizarre fit of misplaced paranoia and pettiness, locked some of its most popular bloggers out of their own sites, preventing them from posting their own farewell … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness | Comments Off on In which we down a few [14]

In which I long to curl up with a good book [23]

Posted on 5 December 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

‘Tis the season when colleagues start discreetly disappearing from the lab, only to return a few hours later laden with shopping bags from Oxford Street. There is a run on discarded boxes and packing peanuts in the store room, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lablit, Writing | Comments Off on In which I long to curl up with a good book [23]

In which signaling takes the cake [9]

Posted on 16 November 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Champagne in plastic cups after a successful PhD viva is still a classic, but you don’t often see labmates getting together to recreate one of your prettiest thesis figures in cake format. Congratulations, James!

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