About

Welcome to The Lab and Field! Here’s some information about this blog, its author, and other minutiae.

Who are you?

I’m Alex Bond, the Senior Curator in Charge of Birds at The Natural History Museum in the UK. I grew up in New Brunswick, where I fell in love with the outdoors.  During my masters at the University of New Brunswick, I also came to appreciate lab analyses and their usefulness in answering ecological questions.  Along the way, I met others who blended rugged field work with careful lab work.  So whether you enjoy sitting in a blind (or hide for those in the UK) watching terns (or waiting to watch terns), or weighing minuscule amounts of feathers into tin capsules that get combusted at 800°C, you’ll find something here at The Lab and Field!

What do you write about?

Anything that interests me.  Most posts will focus on the culture of academia, higher education policy, problems in ecology, conservation, and management, and research in general.  Beware dry sarcastic wit.  And Monty Python references. Oh, and lots of rainbows.

How often do you post?

In the heady days of 2013 and 2014, I posted much more frequently, but this has tailed off lately. No particular reason aside from time and the waxing & waning of interest. You can follow the RSS feed (link on the homepage) to be sure you don’t miss a post (is RSS still a thing?).

Why a blog?

Why not? Sometimes it’s just fun to opine about some topics, and other times, it’s great to get feedback in an informal forum.  And it’s always good to keep writing, no matter what the outlet.

Anything else?

I listen to a lot of CBC Radio 2, my cat is exceptionally fuzzy, and the answer to “should I make tea” is always yes.

And if you’re into actual sciencey stuff, wander over to my academic site – alexanderbond.org