Category Archives: staring into the abyss

In which I dream of escape

Posted on 14 July 2024 by Jennifer Rohn

Sometimes everything just seems too much. As the non-existent summer rolls on – 14C mornings of rain or overcast, wool sweaters taken back out from storage – I find my stress level to be the only thing heating up. As … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Gardening, Research, Science Funding, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which I dream of escape

In which I make the best of things

Posted on 6 May 2024 by Jennifer Rohn

Greetings from the tail end of a typical British bank holiday, where the big highlight was gardening in the rain. In all seriousness, it was rather lovely to be out tidying up the flower beds in the fresh air, among … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Research, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, work-life balance | 1 Comment

In which we land

Posted on 30 July 2023 by Jennifer Rohn

Our migration is complete: my lab now has a new home. And for me, a new office space. Numerous studies have scrutinised the effect of environment on work productivity. Anecdotally, I know that my own focus and output are greatly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Nostalgia, Research, Science Funding, Scientific papers, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which we land

In which we fall

Posted on 6 November 2022 by Jennifer Rohn

Fireworks crackle in the darkness: yesterday’s Bonfire Night stretching to fill the entire weekend. The torrential rains have given way to an almost full moon, glowing cold-silver in the eastern sky. November is always a positive month, with the cosiness … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Joshua, Research, staring into the abyss, students, Teaching, The profession of science, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which we fall

In which climate apocalypse feels inevitable

Posted on 18 July 2022 by Jennifer Rohn

Here in England, we are braced for an historic heat wave. The Met Office has issued its first ever ‘Red Warning of Extreme Heat‘ for much of the UK, with temperatures set to reach a new record of 40 degrees … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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In which academic dreams come true: a belated professorship

Posted on 30 July 2021 by Jennifer Rohn

I have wanted to be a scientist since before I can remember. I did all the right things: I studied hard, finished my homework, raised my hand in class, failed to hide the fact that I loved learning, even though … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, Nostalgia, Research, staring into the abyss, The ageing process, The profession of science, Women in science | Comments Off on In which academic dreams come true: a belated professorship

In which business is not quite as usual: the post-first-wave lab resumes

Posted on 23 August 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

Suspended animation: the lab awaits the return of its researchersBusiness as usual is the sort of mentality that’s probably only certain in retrospect. At the moment, the jury is still very much out. My lab reopened its doors a few … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, Domestic bliss, Epidemics, Gardening, Joshua, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which business is not quite as usual: the post-first-wave lab resumes

In which we lock down

Posted on 13 April 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

Pandemic existence: reaping what we’ve sownThere is nothing I can write about life on lockdown that has not already been written. Doing so risks the scorn of the likes of Times journalist Matthew Parris, who on Saturday opined: I’m encountering … Continue reading →

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In which the pandemic unfolds: a postcard from The Big One?

Posted on 15 March 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

Epidemics are works in progress. At any given moment in time, you can’t know how they will end. They are a curve on a graph of ultimately unknown trajectory; when you are just a dot on a growing curve, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Epidemics, Nostalgia, Scientific thinking, staring into the abyss, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which the pandemic unfolds: a postcard from The Big One?

In which darkness comes knocking

Posted on 14 October 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

It’s quite telling that the back end of this blog site is full of recent drafts, abandoned a few lines in. I have ideas, and most evenings, the time, to dash something off. But something, recently, is sapping my creative … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Writing | Comments Off on In which darkness comes knocking