Dr Lydia Emerson

I am a Senior Research Fellow with expertise in the process evaluation of complex intervention trials. My research focuses on identifying factors that influence the successful implementation and delivery of trials and interventions, understanding the mechanisms underlying intervention effects, and optimising trial conduct and intervention delivery to improve interpretability and effectiveness.

I completed my PhD at Queen’s University Belfast through a nationally competitive four-year Medical Research Council (MRC) Trials Methodology Research Fellowship, during which I developed the POETIC framework. POETIC provides structured, context-specific guidance for designing and conducting process evaluations within complex critical care trials, with a particular emphasis on how contextual factors and quality of delivery shape trial outcomes.

I have extensive experience leading process evaluations in RCTs within critical care, including VAPrapid-2, POPPI, and A2B. At the University of Exeter, I am currently conducting the process evaluation for the NIHR-funded CHART trial (CompreHensive geriatric Assessment for oldeR people with hearT failure and frailty), which applies POETIC beyond critical care. I also lead a SWAT within the ABC post-ICU transfusion trial, investigating why patients decline participation in a trial focused on recovery from critical illness.

Alongside this applied work, I continue to advance POETIC as a programme of methodological research. I am co-investigator and process evaluation lead on several NIHR-funded trials in adult and paediatric critical care and perioperative settings, in which POETIC is currently embedded. Together, these studies enable cumulative methodological learning and strengthen interpretation by systematically examining how context and quality of delivery shape effectiveness, scalability, and implementation.

My goal is to make high-quality process evaluation a routine part of complex trial design, helping researchers anticipate delivery challenges, strengthen interpretation, and generate evidence that is more useful for clinical practice and wider implementation.