In our first episode Pallawi Sinha reflects on the unparalleled situation in which we find ourselves and what it means for restarting research. Could we redefine it for a future that will be forever changed? What's the role of social science at a time of global emergency? How can we engage with people beyond the normative frameworks of being human which were established before the pandemic? How can we sustain the human connection on which qualitative research depends in a time of social distancing?