Category Archives: The profession of science

In which I offer one little reason

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

A certain impending – and exciting – move has left me with no time to blog. Tomorrow is my last day, and after a week of holiday, I’ll be flying North (but only about 3 km) to start up a … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, The profession of science | 22 Comments

In which we are the last man standing

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

You know it’s the last day before Christmas break when: 1. All of the communal microscopes are free, so you can run lots of parallel experiments. 2. Whenever you enter a room or corridor, the automatic lights flicker on. 3. … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness, The profession of science | 4 Comments

In which signaling takes the cake

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Champagne in plastic cups after a successful PhD viva is still a classic, but you don’t often see labmates getting together to recreate one of your prettiest thesis figures in cake format. Congratulations, James!

Posted in Silliness, The profession of science | 9 Comments

In which we leave our mark – or not

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

I like to watch eddies that form underneath waterfalls in a cascade, the ones you see in creeks of glacial run-off rushing down the sides of mountains. The milky-green water, and everything trapped in it, seems desperate to get from … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science | 23 Comments

In which science careers get a fair hearing

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Once again I revisit the question broached by Science is Vital in our recent report Careering Out of Control? A Crisis in UK Science Careers. Last week I participated in a round table discussion about this very issue co-hosted by … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Policy, science funding, Science is Vital, The profession of science | 24 Comments

In which we lay hands on an oil tanker

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Many of you have probably heard about the Science Careers campaign that we at Science Is Vital are currently running – which is also the reason I have not blogged for a few weeks. I’m a little in shock right … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Policy, science funding, Science is Vital, The profession of science | 9 Comments

In which I question the 24/7 lab mentality

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Is there a strong correlation between the number of hours you are physically present in a lab and the pace and success of your project? The furore over Nature’s 24/7 lab feature, published a few weeks ago, is still sending … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Nostalgia, Scientific thinking, The profession of science | 47 Comments

In which I salute the pioneers

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Cell and molecular biology is a bit of a dark art. The way we perform our experiments has been passed down from generation to generation in sacred texts known as “protocols”. Like any recipe used and abused by generations of … Continue reading →

Posted in Nostalgia, Scientific method, Scientific thinking, The profession of science | 28 Comments

In which I seek the evidence – and ideas

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

A post I initially wrote about the consequences of putting arbitrary sell-by dates on post-docs seeking fellowships has been rebutted by my esteemed OT colleague Athene Donald. It’s an interesting post and I encourage people to have a look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, science funding, Scientific thinking, The profession of science | 50 Comments

In which my heart goes out to Postdoc B

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

What a difference a few words make. Compare this: With this: A modest difference, you might think. But your average postdoctoral stint in the life sciences is probably something like 3-4 years. So the difference between 8 and 12+ years … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science, Women in science | 42 Comments