Category Archives: Staring into the abyss

In which climate apocalypse feels inevitable

Posted on July 18, 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 →

Posted in Policy, Science fiction, Staring into the abyss | 2 Comments

In which academic dreams come true: a belated professorship

Posted on July 30, 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 →

Posted in Academia, Careers, Nostalgia, Research, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, The profession of science, Women in science | 5 Comments

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

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

Business 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 weeks ago. This is, of course, a wonderful thing. … 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 April 13, 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

There 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 what for me is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic bliss, Gardening, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Work/life balance | 6 Comments

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

Posted on March 15, 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 | 1 Comment

In which darkness comes knocking

Posted on October 14, 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

In which I run aground

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

It’s been a long winter, and the past academic term seemed to stretch on forever, a blur of stress and deadlines punctuated by good news and bad. My lab got another paper accepted, and my outline-stage grant was shortlisted. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, science funding, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, Work/life balance | 11 Comments

In which I see through other eyes

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

A few months ago I had a Twitter encounter with an American far-right Trump supporter. Unbeknownst to me, this man had been lurking and – as incongruous as it sounds – apparently enjoying my Twitter feed (which is largely, these … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Staring into the abyss | Comments Off on In which I see through other eyes

In which the unsaid gathers

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

It’s a new year, and the cursor blinks at me accusingly. It knows I have not written here for some time, and perhaps it wonders why, given that thoughts and feelings are gathering restlessly in my brain and need to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which the unsaid gathers

In which I preserve

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

I often think about how ancient survival strategies are probably still encoded somewhere deep in our chromosomes, cryptic and dormant but with the potential to be roused by the faintest of stimuli. For me, recent unrest in the world has … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic bliss, Gardening, Joshua, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, Work/life balance | Comments Off on In which I preserve