This paper proposes a critical approach and a model based on the construct of a ethics of care to understand researcher vulnerability within contemporary applied linguistics. We emphasise the importance of reflexivity as a practice that foregrounds the humanity of both researchers and participants. In particular, by highlighting the challenges and dilemmas faced by researchers, we advocate for an ethics of care as a guide to address the ethical and practical issues related to researcher vulnerabilities. We discuss how recent shifts in applied linguistics, particularly the reflexive turn, have sharpened the focus on the social and ethical dimensions of research impact, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of generative AI technologies. Our discussion underscores the necessity of acknowledging researchers' own vulnerabilities and the need for systematic and transparent engagement with these challenges to foster well-being and ethical rigour for all in applied linguistics research.</p
