Category Archives: The profession of science

In which we struggle: mental health in higher education

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

It is no secret to anyone who works in a UK university that our students are struggling: statistics from 2010-2011 suggest nearly 6% have reported a mental health condition. Confidential surveys reveal a much higher number; for example nearly 60% … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Students, The profession of science, Work/life balance | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Academia, Research, Staring into the abyss, Teaching, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which we keep below decks – for now

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 →

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

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 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 →

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 I ponder: could scientific angst beat nuclear war in a fair fight?

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Jennifer Rohn

When you are a scientist, your daily concerns revolve around mundane issues, so mundane that most normal people would struggle to recognise them as urgent: primarily funding woes, like I wrote about last week. But also publications, teaching, the dozen … 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 →

Posted in Academia, Careers, Research, science funding, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which we watch and wait

In which I lurk on the edges of the playground

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Jennifer Rohn

I’ve just finished Richard Powers’ latest novel, Playground. This is not a book review (although I can highly recommend it), but more of a reflection on its aftertaste. Cryptic spoilers below. I’d consider the book ‘lab lit lite’ – there … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Joshua, LabLit, Staring into the abyss, The ageing process, The profession of science | 1 Comment

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