E.J. Vargo studied Clinical and Occupational Psychology at Sapienza University of Rome and was later invited at Kingston University London to conduct a PhD exploring contemporary psychoactive substance use. She is interested in psycho-sociological research and combines quantitative and qualitative research processes to explore individual and social behaviours. She also does work on research reliability issues. Her work experience in different academic settings has provided her broad interdisciplinary understanding and research flexibility, but also allowed her to understand the systemic and macro-structural issues that are negatively affecting junior researchers’ career progression. She sees a solution to these endemic issues in the reinforcement of transparent and authentic research processes, and in persuading higher education institutions to give increased value to the aspirations and drive of early-career researchers.