Category Archives: The profession of science

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

In which I find acceptance

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

A happy ending – just the way I like them. Can I go collapse now?

Posted in Careers, The profession of science | 28 Comments

In which I can put it off no longer

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Summer has slipped away from London, as it seems to do every year around this time – the air has an autumnal coolness and raindrops patter against lab windows. We Londoners work around this, as we do around so many … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, The profession of science | 20 Comments

In which I surface briefly

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Greetings, Earthlings: just emerging from my self-imposed laboratory exile for a quick update. I do still exist, and my radio silence can be explained by the fact that I’m in the home stretch of my resubmission. For those of you … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Scientific method, The profession of science | 21 Comments

In which I scrape by

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

I’ve been pondering the theoretical maximum number of simultaneous cell biological experiments that one person can do without losing it. I’ve also been testing the theory on a practical basis – on myself. And I can safely report that, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Nostalgia, Scientific method, The profession of science | 38 Comments

In which my vibration woes deepen

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

The plot thickens. For those of you who have been dangling in urgent uncertainty, I can report that the vibration problem in our incubator has not gone away. I thought I’d get around it by using smaller, non-round vessels, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness, The profession of science | 17 Comments

In which I ponder the power of perspective

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Whenever you stick your head above the parapet and express a strong opinion in a high-profile venue, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll receive a large number of emails in response. Most of the follow-up I receive tends to be from … Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific method, Scientific thinking, The profession of science, Uncategorized, Women in science | 47 Comments

In which I set my sights

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Jennifer Rohn

Even the darkest tunnels tend to have lights at the end of them. In the past fortnight, not only have I submitted my big screen paper – the culmination of four years of work – to a very reputable cell … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss, The profession of science | 14 Comments