Allison McDonald
Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University
Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
On July 1, I entered a new phase in my academic career - I officially became an Associate Professor with tenure. Tenure at my institution occurs at an accelerated pace; you can go up for tenure just…
- Allison McDonald
- June 5, 2019
Often when I’m speaking to young women in STEM, the subject of having kids comes up in conversation. And I take every one of these conversations as an opportunity to dismantle the myth that a tenure-…
- Allison McDonald
- May 30, 2019
What comes to people’s minds when you say the word scientist? Chances are most people picture a middle-aged white man toiling away in a dark, mysterious laboratory. A socially awkward misfit who is…
- Allison McDonald
- May 29, 2019
I recently read an article in which a new mother talks about her dismay when several of her colleagues judged her for “taking time off” for maternity leave. The article really resonated with me and…
- Allison McDonald
- May 20, 2019
Last summer, I was awarded tenure and it felt amazing. It was one of the proudest and most significant moments in my life thus far. After the warm and fuzzy feeling wears off though, I was left…
- Allison McDonald
- May 20, 2019
Interruptions are the bane of my existence. When I’m in the zone working on something, it is very disruptive to be interrupted. As I do most of my work in my office on campus, and my office is…
- Allison McDonald
- May 15, 2019
I am outing myself as a disabled scientist. I have a hidden disability and this gives me the luxury of being selective in letting people know about my disability. I was diagnosed in February 2012,…
- Allison McDonald
- May 6, 2019
It would be great to live in a world where your fashion choices didn’t influence what people think about your competence or abilities as a scientist. Sadly, we do not live in such a world. Lucky for…
- Allison McDonald
- May 6, 2019
I became pregnant with my son a year and a half into my PhD program on purpose. I say on purpose because one of the more shocking things that happened to me during my first pregnancy as a graduate…
- Allison McDonald
- May 3, 2019
I’m a professional, an expert who has earned a credential, namely a PhD, that reinforces these facts. You may ask why I need these facts reinforced. It is not because I have a gigantic ego, think I’m…
- Allison McDonald
- May 3, 2019
