Athene Donald

As far as I know I was first female mainstream physicist elected (as opposed to astronomer) in 1999. It really has changed a lot!

As @royalsociety.org celebrates 80 years since the election of the first women FRSs, I've written a blog for them about that history (cross-posted from their on blog) #womeninSTEM occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

I think it's a problem for the wider public that there are so few books talking about how science is done and the lives of those who do it. occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Oxbridge blues: How have Cambridge and Oxford economies performed over the past decade? Why Cambridge has pulled ahead of Oxford on jobs, productivity and housing – and what it means for both cities.

Two university cities. Two different trajectories.

This blog examines why Cambridge has pulled ahead on key economic indicators👇
buff.ly/I5fsz6C

I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day | Anonymous Objectification, hate, rape threats: the politicians debating online abuse mean well, but to truly understand, they need to see what I see

This is one of the most heart-breaking & important articles I have ever read - from someone whose voices are so rarely heard, a teenaged girl.

If you want to understand online misogyny in all its devastating impact, please read this shattering piece.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This headline. Sadly it doesn't surprise me, but jeez. And I've no doubt these attitudes persist today in some places.

Scientists spend a lot of time making judgements about others: papers, fellowships and grant applications. But how often do we have a Conflict of Interest and can we ever be truly unbiased? occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

UK’s gender pay gap ‘won’t close for 30 years’ at current rates Trades Union Congress says women have worked a month and a half for free this year and legislation is needed

TUC saying #genderpaygap gender pay gap, (£2,548 a year) means that women have in effect worked for free so far this year. At this rate equal pay won't be reached till 2056 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

A nicely balanced piece from @rachelsylvester.bsky.social about the extent to which 'girl power' may be relevant in government circles - or is it just these are people who are prepared to take a long-term view of the changes needed?

It's not easy to avoid a whole host of different biases when judging others. I've seen some shocking examples at grant-giving committees. Some reflections on Conflicts of Interest occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

• Women were often not listened to by higher (or even lower) ranking researchers. • Women were accused of being emotional, aggressive or pushy (usually when they were assertive after not being listened to). • They were not made aware of influential committee or leadership roles that were open to them. • They were told they were 'not ready' to be promoted, when it was clear that they had a good chance. • They were not properly celebrated after achieving prizes or awards. • They were expected to take on housekeeping duties in the workplace (without proper reward).

This list of common concerns by early career women scientists particularly resonated with me:

Can you access the online map? I just get an error

There are just a handful of women marked so far, I'm sure the #histsci community on here can suggest many more (brief submission form via link below).

Advancing gender equality in STEM education: Inspiring girls to pursue Women and girls remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), often due to persistent stereotypes and limited access to opportunities. Through education

Today is International Day of Girls and Women in Science. UNESCO show that women represent only 35% of STEM graduates around the world. We must stop losing so much talent that could improve the world for all www.unesco.org/en/articles/...

On the pros and cons of metrics, be it in our HEIs or schools....occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

On the pros and cons of metrics, be it in our HEIs or schools....occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Establishing a Development Corporation in Greater Cambridge

This government is determined to unleash ambitious and high-quality sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge.

We have today launched a consultation on proposals to establish a centrally-led Urban Development Corporation for the area 👇🏻

www.gov.uk/government/c...

Katherine Blodgett, the first woman to receive a PhD from Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory www.phy.cam.ac.uk/news/the-inv...

Fuming 😡

Teacher: "you can usually tell the girls that want to do physics, they look a bit tomboy-ish"

#WomenInSTEM #ASPIRES3 @iop.org

Born #OnThisDay in 1885 was Marjory Stephenson FRS, biochemist and one of the first two women to be elected to the Royal Society. Stephenson also founded the Microbiology Society and served as its second president. #HistoryOfScience #WomenInSTEM www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr5b...

Why should women have to be 'feisty' to survive in STEMM? It's always been thus: time to fix the system!#womeninstem occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Women shouldn't need to be feisty to survive in science. But it was tough for Margaret Cavendish 350 years ago, and it's still tough now #womeninstem occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Some reflections of my own here occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

RIP Nancy. She impacted me in various ways: as my graduate tutor at Girton and I took over from her as Director of WiSETI, an organisation she had set up at Cambridge. She was a hard act to follow

A black and white photo of a woman in half-profile, looking to the left of the camera. She is wearing a nineteenth-century coat and collar.

Born #OnThisDay in 1850 was mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, who made significant contributions to several fields of mathematics. She was the first woman to be awarded a PhD in mathematics and one of the first women to work as an editor at a scientific journal. #WomenInSTEM

With the setting up of the new DSIT Women in Tech workforce, I've been asking how far we've come since the late Nancy Lane Perham's ground-breaking The Rising Tide report in 1993 occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

My latest blogpost considers the life and legacy of Nancy Lane Perham (which includes Athena Swan) and its relevance to the recently announced Women in Tech taskforce occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Katharine Blodgett was an American physicist and chemist known for her work on surface chemistry, in particular, her invention of "invisible" or nonreflective glass. She was the first woman to be awarded a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge. She was born #OnThisDay in 1898. #WomenInSTEM

Thanks for the kind words. Happy New Year!

Who was Amelia Frank? The life of a forgotten physicist In the 1930s, this quantum mechanical pioneer faced obstacles that still confront women in physics today.

In 1977, American physicist John H. Van Vleck won the Nobel prize for his work on magnetism. In his Nobel lecture, amid a discussion of rare earth elements, one sentence leaps out:

"Miss Frank and I made the relevant calculations."

Who was Amelia Frank?

theconversation.com/who-was-amel...