Category Archives: Universities

Shame. Or should that be ‘Postdocalypse’?

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Austin

Not IUPS-related tonight – but something that should concern the people there – should concern *us*. Especially the people WITH senior positions. Scientific research has a lot going for it as a job. There’s the big money, for a start. … Continue reading →

Posted in Science policy, The Life Scientific, Uncategorized, Universities | 5 Comments

IUPS Part 1

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Austin

A dispatch from the IUPS conference in Birmingham. I have to admit to some trepidation when it comes to big international mega-conferences like the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences). They have never entirely agreed with me. The first conference … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Grumbling, Medicine, Physiology, Universities | Comments Off on IUPS Part 1

Happy Birthday DC

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Austin

It is a pleasure to wish a Happy Birthday today to my friend Professor David Colquhoun, who, as he reaches the palindromic age of 77, is still fighting the various fights for good science – and reality in general – … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting old, History, Pseudoscience, The Life Scientific, Uncategorized, Universities | 2 Comments

Twenty five years without parole

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Austin

In which I look back in… stunned disbelief? It has been a rather strange week here. The main reason, I think, is that last Wednesday, on Feb 1st, I passed a rather unnerving landmark – twenty-five years working for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting old, Grumbling, Physiology, Procrastination, The Life Scientific, Uncategorized, Universities | 27 Comments

Dedication? Or lack of imagination?

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Austin

Over in the comments at Athene Donald’s blog there is another of those extended discussions of UK science careers going on, prompted also by Jenny Rohn’s recent posts on fellowship schemes and the work of the Science is Vital campaign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Annoyances, Getting old, Science policy, The Life Scientific, Uncategorized, Universities | 18 Comments

Not much more than a decade until the bus pass*

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Austin

*assuming bus passes haven’t been abolished by then (see also a defence of bus passes here). ——————————————————————-   In which, in a post-academic-year reverie, I decide not to look forward, and try some looking back instead. So no surprise there, then. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chess, Family business, Nerdishness, Procrastination, The Life Scientific, Universities | 27 Comments