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 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). 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 develop POETIC as a broader programme of methodological research. POETIC is currrently being applied across several NIHR-funded trials in critical care, perioperative, and non-adult ICU settings, with the CHART trial representing an ongoing application outside of these contexts.This supports cumulative learning across trials and improves interpretation by systematically linking context and quality of delivery to effectiveness and scale-up.