Pavan Agarwal is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Molecular Neurosciences of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). In this invited article, he recounts his rollercoaster journey of setting up an independent research group during a pandemic as a newly returned young investigator in India.

Sudarshan Gadadhar is a Scientist at Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Homeostasis of inStem, Bengaluru. In this invited article, he shares the significance of mentorship, collaboration and networking in establishing an independent research group as a young investigator in India.

Prasoon Kumar is an Assistant Professor at Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering in National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha. In this invited article, he shares his experiences navigating multidisciplinary research as a young investigator in India with a joint engineering-science foundation.

Nirmalya Sen is an Assistant Professor at the Division of Molecular Medicine of Bose Institute, Kolkata. In this invited article, he writes about his research journey as a young investigator that took him through two labs in India to a place he calls home.

Neetha Balaram is an Assistant Professor at Department of Neurology in Government Medical College, Kozhikode. She is currently the lead for epilepsy subsection including paediatric epilepsy. In this invited article, she shares her experiences of navigating medical research outside her comfort zone as a clinician turned researcher.