Research Independence in Academia—'The holy grail' and beyond.

The article focuses on the career trajectories of early career researchers appointed as editors at Diabetic Medicine, emphasizing their research on islet protein dynamics in Type 2 diabetes and pancreatic β-cell loss in Type 1 diabetes. Topics include the challenges and privileges of transitioning to independent research roles, the complexities of building a research identity, and the cultural differences in approaches to research independence between Western and Eastern societies.