Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn

About Jennifer Rohn

Scientist, novelist, rock chick

In which I wait for spring to come

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Dusk was already falling, along with a light drizzle, earlier this afternoon as I pushed brown ovoid objects repeatedly into heavy wet earth. Carelessly dressed against the cold, my muddy fingertips going numb, I worked the trowel and hoped I … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic bliss, Gardening | 32 Comments

In which the truth hurts – or does it?

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

As crocuses push through muddy earth, the air softens on campus and the undergraduates wake up from hibernation to resume clogging up the pizza queue in the refectory, I feel the weight, yet again, of the swift passage of days … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science | 28 Comments

In which we fail to meet expectations

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Sometimes you find yourself in a crowd, experiencing the unreal sense that you’re wearing a disguise, or acting out a part in a play, or watching yourself in a web-cam feed. Last week I attended the biennial meeting of Wellcome … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science | 35 Comments

In which I marvel at a serious swag #fail

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Who doesn’t love a good conference swag bag? Yes, I know it’s frequently full of useless tat destined to go straight into the hotel bin. But what jolts the adrenalin as you paw through the bulging canvas sack in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments

In which I tire of the old paradigms

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Successful moments in scientific research are famously rare, and people deal with them in various personal ways. Many treat a promising experimental with suspicion bordering on paranoia, refusing to believe what is right before their eyes because an experiment couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific method, The profession of science | Tagged , , | 53 Comments

In which I space out

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Jennifer Rohn

London is beautiful at Christmas, especially when we get proper winter weather. In this lame-duck week in the run up to the 25th, many people in the metropolis have downed tools and taken off work early for the holidays – … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss | 11 Comments

In which I am outwitted by swag

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Jennifer Rohn

A good scientific meeting will often lead to more questions than it answers. And sure enough, I’ve recently returned from the American Society for Cell Biology with a mystery object that has evaded all powers of comprehension. In the spirit … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness | Tagged , | 37 Comments

In which I question my own sell-by date

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Jennifer Rohn

The scientific profession is inherently broken. I’ve blogged in the past about the glut of increasingly desperate post-docs battling it out for a diminishing pool of permanent positions funded by a dwindling pot of research funding. As the culture of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 43 Comments

In which the next train will shortly be arriving on Platform 1

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Jennifer Rohn

Very soon, Mind The Gap will settle into its new home here at Occam’s Typewriter. It feels good to going indie with my lovely OT colleagues – in fact, I’m all aflutter. Cue gratuitous London underground shot: (gratuitous London underground … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness | 14 Comments

In which I come over all SF

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Jennifer Rohn

Science: it’s not just a profession, but a way of life. And sometimes it’s hard to switch off the all-pervasive geeky filter through which we view the entire world. Of course, the UK press’s habit of weirdly juxtaposing nouns as … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments