Opportunities and Challenges for Psychological Research Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned from a Group of Early-Career Researchers in Quito, Ecuador

Abstract

In less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic obliged the international community of academics and researchers to modify their ways of doing research. Affected by the same international health emergency, academia turned its efforts into obtaining as much knowledge as possible about COVID-19, its causes, its prevention, its treatment, and its consequences. This common ground sparked a series of international research projects to identify ways to face the pandemic. This article seeks to describe the experience of three early-career researchers in Quito, Ecuador, who participated in three international collaborations. In this manuscript, we will explain how these projects were born, and address the series of challenges and opportunities that arise from collaborating with different teams, the benefits of connecting through technology, and the limitations of collecting data amid mobility restrictions. We believe our experiences highlight what can be accomplished through effective communication and will also provide insight on how to overcome some of the barriers that international collaborative research poses.