Note that Matt Keeter has been at this for quite a while now, very generously sharing his efforts and research:

https://www.mattkeeter.com/research/

In particular, his thesis is well-worth reading: https://www.mattkeeter.com/research/thesis.pdf

"What does this independent research look like?"[1] - timestamp link into Implicit Surfaces & Independent Research (2025) on that research page.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGxsGnbyJ4&t=2150s (I started the clip a few seconds early as teaser for rest of talk)