About Jenny
By day: cell biologist at UCL. By night: novelist, broadcaster, science writer, sci-lit-art pundit, blogger and Editor of LabLit.com. I blog about my life in science, not the facts and figures.
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Jennifer Rohn on In which no scientist is an island – but that’s what we signed up for
- Henry Gee on In which no scientist is an island – but that’s what we signed up for
- Brigitte on In which sadness serves a purpose
- rpg on In which we tell a story: on metaphors in science and life
- Henry Gee on In which we’ve lost the scientific argument
Archives
Categories
- Academia
- Art
- Careers
- Domestic bliss
- Epidemics
- Gardening
- Ham radio
- Health and safety gone mad
- Illness
- Joshua
- Kit
- LabLit
- Media
- Music
- Nostalgia
- Obituaries
- Policy
- Politics
- Recruitment
- Research
- Science fiction
- science funding
- Science is Vital
- Science journalism
- Science talking
- Scientific method
- Scientific papers
- Scientific thinking
- Silliness
- Staring into the abyss
- Stereotypes
- Students
- Teaching
- The ageing process
- The profession of science
- Uncategorized
- Women in science
- Work/life balance
- Writing
Meta
Category Archives: Nostalgia
In which the road forks and the future splinters
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
Posted in Academia, Careers, Nostalgia, Research, The profession of science, Women in science
Comments Off on In which the road forks and the future splinters
In which I come home
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 sadness serves a purpose
It’s one of those weekend afternoons when the garden is almost too beautiful. Too much. I sit here under a blanket on a deck chair in the blustery wind, trying to write, but all the songbirds have forgotten I’m here … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Nostalgia, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, Writing
1 Comment
In which we build the perfect scientist
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
Posted in Academia, Careers, Domestic bliss, Nostalgia, Research, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Work/life balance
Comments Off on In which we build the perfect scientist
In which we’ve lost the scientific argument
Today in the United States, researchers are marching in Washington DC and across the country in a Stand Up for Science National Day of Action. Their problems are admittedly a lot heavier than ours here in the UK, although a … Continue reading
Posted in Nostalgia, Policy, Politics, Science is Vital, Science talking, Students, Teaching
1 Comment
In which I thank my stars for country living
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
Posted in Academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Nostalgia, The ageing process, Work/life balance
Comments Off on In which I thank my stars for country living
In which I make contact
Back in the late Nineties, I was interning at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. During the working week, I threw myself into the lab with all the evangelical fervour of a pilgrim who had finally reached her … Continue reading
In which I dream
Last night I dreamt I was pipetting. It was a beautiful Gilson p200, the classic model of my formative years. The precision instrument felt reassuringly heavy and solid in my right hand. Despite its age, the movements were smooth and … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Careers, Nostalgia, Research, Scientific thinking, The ageing process, The profession of science
Comments Off on In which I dream
In which we celebrate
Christmas, I argue, is a space-time continuum where the past and present layer up like sediments on the Jurassic coast. At the appointed time, old traditions are unearthed out of storage to mingle with those spontaneously invented as you go … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic bliss, Joshua, Music, Nostalgia
2 Comments
In which I age backwards
I don’t know if it’s just me, but for the last few years, I’ve forgotten how old I am. Because I spend so much of the year pessimistically rounding up, I’m rendered unsure by the present state of affairs. When … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic bliss, Gardening, Nostalgia, The ageing process
Comments Off on In which I age backwards
