Category Archives: Academia

In which we keep below decks – for now

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

Everyone I know in academia is hanging by a thread. The profession has always been fraught, but in the past few years I’ve sensed an edge of desperation in many of my colleagues, especially those who heavily teach. We have … Continue reading →

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In which no scientist is an island – but that’s what we signed up for

Posted on May 16, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

I’ve washed up on the shores of another weekend, almost limp after two weeks of protracted stress. Throughout this, my unsettled, cortisol-fuelled moods have mirrored the erratic nature of the recent weather: violent cloudbursts, hailstorms, rainbows, periods of brilliant sunshine … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Research, Scientific papers, Scientific thinking, Teaching, The profession of science, Work/life balance | 2 Comments

In which the road forks and the future splinters

Posted on May 2, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

It’s that time of year when prospective undergraduates are considering their various offers to study at university. As the Admissions Tutor for a large BSc programme, I’ve been spending a lot of time fielding hundreds of queries by email. And … Continue reading →

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In which I come home

Posted on April 26, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been caught in the flurry of the early-spring conference season, crisscrossing continents to take part in that most ritualistic of scientific pastimes: networking, giving talks, sliding through poster sessions, drinking bad coffee from steel … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Joshua, Nostalgia, Research, The ageing process, The profession of science, Work/life balance | Comments Off on In which I come home

In which we tell a story: on metaphors in science and life

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

There is such a stark divide between those who understand scientific complexity and those who urgently need or want to. The onus falls on the former to translate their messages in a comprehensible way. Perhaps it’s a radical claim, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Research, Scientific papers, Students, Teaching, Writing | 1 Comment

In which we build the perfect scientist

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

They say it takes a village to raise a child. But I’ve been wondering recently what it takes to raise an independent scientist. Specifically, I’m thinking of the “valley of death” between a postdoc and a well-functioning group leader with … Continue reading →

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In which we watch and wait

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

Precarity is the one constant of academic science. Themes of instability thread themselves through everything we do: experiments that inexplicably cannot be repeated. Once-sound theories that fall into pieces as a result. Job contracts that end after only a few … Continue reading →

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In which I thank my stars for country living

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Jennifer Rohn

When I first moved to London in 1997, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Long hours in the lab would spill into the evening streets and underground tunnels of a city so large that you could never experience it all. … Continue reading →

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In which I languish in limbo

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Jennifer Rohn

You could write an entire PhD thesis about how difficult it is for academics to relax on holiday. (And whoever’s writing it would be lying on the sofa by the Christmas tree right now, fretting about how they really ought … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Domestic bliss, The profession of science, Work/life balance | 2 Comments

In which I make the best of things

Posted on May 6, 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 →

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