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.
Category Archives: The profession of science
In which we make a move
There’s a lot of change going on in my life right now, all at once. In addition to giving birth sometime in the next fortnight and needing to finish up a major piece of work-related writing before that, my lab … Continue reading
Posted in Nostalgia, The profession of science
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In which I find ‘it’
When I pictured my ‘adult’ life in academic science, it never looked anything like what it actually turned out to be. Trained as we are through the ranks, the neophyte scientist is constantly exposed to her bright future stretching ahead … Continue reading
In which a picture’s worth a thousand words – in any language
Sometimes random consecutive events jibe in unexpectedly harmonious ways. When I returned to the lab from a well-earned holiday in Italy yesterday, the first thing I did was have a chat with one of our new summer students, a bright … Continue reading
Posted in The profession of science
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In which the data get an outing
For the past few weeks I’ve been traveling the globe at back-to-back conferences – hence the silence here. The conference universe has its own natural laws, and time flows differently as its strict routines overwrite all of your own normal … Continue reading
In which things flow naturally forward
I’ve been pondering the impermanence of things lately. Maybe it all started with the departure of a well-liked clinical researcher from our lab, an OB/GYN with a sense of the absurd who never failed to make us laugh. Now when … Continue reading
In which it all goes a bit Hitchcock
As I approach the door and reach for the knob, I find that my heart rate has accelerated. Behind me, one of our research nurses cowers a few paces back: she needs to get inside, but – quite understandably – … Continue reading
Posted in Silliness, The profession of science
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In which I dream of going viral
In a post I wrote over on the Guardian yesterday, I made the comparison between early-career researchers and unknown musicians: But how does a younger scientist with a shorter track record, whose “excellence” might not yet be apparent, get his … Continue reading
In which I cling on
Recently I was kindly invited by the University of Southampton’s branch of the University and College Union to give a talk about the casualization of research jobs. ‘Casualization’ refers to the state whereby workers are employed in a disposable fashion … Continue reading
In which we endure
Baby, it’s cold outside. And inside too, as it happens. Over the past month or two, London has been in the grip of some of the coldest weather I ever remember having experienced here. For most London workers, the chill … Continue reading
In which science writer wanna-bes are given a chance at fame and glory
Are you a early-career cell biologist (PhD student or post-doc) in the UK with a flair for the pen? Do you like to communicate about your science using everyday words and sentences structures other than the passive voice? Or maybe … Continue reading
Posted in science funding, The profession of science, Writing
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