Meet our Research and publications team

Emma joined Dementia UK in January 2026 as Head of Research and Publications. She brings over 20 years’ experience across academia, industry, and the public and third sectors.

A specialist in human-centred design and collaborative research, Emma’s work focuses on generating rich, meaningful insights that help strengthen services for people living with dementia and those who care for them. She takes a compassionate, human-centred approach, ensuring that lived experience is at the heart of research, policy and practice.

Emma’s expertise includes dementia-friendly environments, outdoor learning, green health, and carer education. She has led major research programmes that have shaped policy, strategy and service design, and is a strong advocate for co-creation, inclusive approaches and human-centred innovation.

Madeleine joined Dementia UK as a Research Fellow in February 2024 and is now Deputy Head of Research and Publications. Her work focuses on developing and delivering research that strengthens the evidence base for dementia care and helps improve support for people living with dementia and their families.

Madeleine has a particular interest in understanding dementia within the context of people’s wider health needs and the places in which they live. She leads Dementia UK’s research on multiple health conditions, including work to build a clearer geographical picture of dementia, health and service provision across the UK. She also leads work exploring the economic value of Admiral Nursing, including whether Admiral Nurse services can generate cost savings across the wider health and care system.

Before joining Dementia UK, Madeleine worked in research policy, advocating for changes to improve the research environment for people affected by dementia. She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2018, where her research explored the potential of retinal biomarkers for dementia in people with Down’s syndrome.

Phil joined Dementia UK as a Research Fellow in April 2024. He is also a researcher at the University of Sheffield in the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH). Phil has worked with people living with dementia since 2008, working as a care assistant and later as an Assistant Psychologist in the older adult services of a mental health hospital, before transitioning into research in 2014. His PhD research focused on the digital accessibility of everyday technologies for people with dementia.

Dr Megan Davies has joined Dementia UK as a Research Fellow, bringing strong expertise in dementia research, public involvement, and person-centred care. She will continue to work one day per week as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of East Anglia on the NIHR DEM-COMM programme.

Megan’s research focuses on improving quality of life, meaningful engagement, and person-centred care for older adults, particularly people living with dementia. Her work to date has largely centred on long-term care settings, with a strong emphasis on amplifying the voices and lived experiences of residents.

Prior to joining DEM-COMM, Megan was a Senior Research Associate on the CHAPPI project, which supported care home residents to contribute to research as a meaningful activity. She has also led international cross-cultural collaborations, reimagining person-centred care frameworks through a cross-cultural lens.

Megan completed her PhD in 2023 at the University of Basel and Maastricht University, conducting rapid ethnographic studies across care homes in Switzerland, the UK, and the Netherlands to explore how person-centred practices shape residents’ quality of life. She also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Sports and Exercise Science, with a research focus on people living with dementia.

Ryan joined Dementia UK as a Research Assistant in February 2025 and became a Research Fellow in September 2026. He completed his PhD at Heriot-Watt University, where his research explored the relationship between musical experience and cognitive abilities across the lifespan.

Before joining Dementia UK, Ryan worked on a range of research projects spanning cognitive psychology, ageing, wellbeing and education. At Heriot-Watt University, he worked with Cycling Without Age Scotland to investigate the impact of trishaw rides on the mood and wellbeing of care home residents, including people living with dementia. This work explored how opportunities to get outdoors and engage with the local environment could encourage connection, reminiscence and communication.

Ryan has also worked with researchers at the University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen on the relationship between musical experience, working memory and speech perception in older adults. At Durham University, he contributed to a large-scale meta-analysis of educational interventions in collaboration with the Education Endowment Foundation, helping to develop accessible, evidence-based guidance for teachers and schools.

Lesley joined Dementia UK as the Administrator for the Research Team in June 2024.

A former Managing Director of a computer retail business, Lesley also has a career in administration spanning over 20 years.

She has worked within the judiciary, NHS, and the construction industry, holding senior PA roles. However, her early career within the NHS and care system was spent in direct patient care.