My question is: What would be the best course of action for someone with the aforementioned qualifications to get into Blockchain Research and be part of the future ?
Choose your specialization or focus on project you see as best promise for bitcoin.
For example, you are amazed by lighting extension of bitcoin, start from reading code repositories. Its possible you won't understand much, but try to at least. Then focus on some part of this huge projects. Why? Because computer science is like medicine nowadays, there are maybe close to hundred different specializations.
You could specialize in network communication, optimize sockets communication or udp or whatever method of decentralized communication is there.
Then you are better and better in it and you start earning at least $10 000 per month. Your job is done here, you are wanted in most specialized and best jobs you can get.