The paper authored by Associate Professor Yusuke Sakurai, titled “How researchers across career stages experience researcher independence: A visual collaborative autoethnography,” has been featured on external websites.

This article introduces a study which shows that researchers’ independence does not end with the completion of a doctoral degree but instead develops over the long term, shaped by relationships, institutional structures and accumulated experiences. The study by Dr Sakurai and colleagues presents a method in which researchers depict their careers as a “river of experience”, which makes it possible to visualise a non-linear and agentic developmental trajectory. In addition, it identifies three key aspects of this process: development that involves uncertainty and setbacks, the proactive formation of capabilities, and the interaction between internal self-evaluation and external recognition.

For more details, please see the links below:

EurekAlert!
🔗 https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1130452
Asia Research News
🔗 https://www.asiaresearchnews.com/content/why-researcher-independence-doesn%E2%80%99t-start-or-end-phd

Title: How researchers across career stages experience researcher independence: A visual collaborative autoethnography
Authors: Yusuke Sakurai, Jin Yu, Dangeni, Anding Shi, Wenjuan Cheng, and Kelsey Inouye
Journal: Innovations in Education and Teaching International
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2026.2666368

Reference URL: https://rihe.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/2026/05/18-associate-professor-sakurai-en/