These appointments reflect our continued growth and investment in exceptional talent across research, evaluation and operational teams. Together, Liz, Jamie, Olivia and James bring expertise spanning public policy, evaluation, social research, consumer insight, culture and heritage, AI, automation and operational delivery, further strengthening our ability to deliver robust, meaningful evidence that helps organisations improve services, shape policy and create positive social impact.
Welcoming senior evaluation expertise
Liz Murphy
New Appointment: Liz Murphy, Senior Evaluation Lead
Liz Murphy joined the evaluation team as Senior Evaluation Lead, bringing 18 years’ experience designing and delivering strategic research and evaluation across the UK and Europe.
Throughout her career, Liz has developed and led complex evaluations that inform public policy, organisational strategy and service improvement across government, cultural and third-sector organisations. She has extensive experience developing evaluation frameworks, socio-demographic insight and performance measures that enable organisations to make evidence-based decisions with confidence.
Liz is particularly recognised for her ability to translate complex qualitative and quantitative evidence into clear, actionable insight for senior stakeholders, including policymakers, boards and delivery partners. Her expertise will further strengthen M·E·L Research’s evaluation offer, supporting clients to understand impact, improve services and shape future strategy.
Welcoming new talent to our Insights Team
New Appointment: Olivia Smith, Insights Executive
Olivia Smith
Olivia Smith joined M·E·L Research in May 2026, bringing research experience across the arts and culture, tourism, heritage, health and retail sectors.
Her interest in social research developed during an internship with a specialist research agency, where she contributed to projects for organisations including Beamish Museum and the NHS, seeing first-hand how research can influence decision-making and improve outcomes for communities.
Prior to joining M·E·L Research, Olivia worked as a Research Executive at a market research agency, supporting projects from design through to analysis and reporting. Her experience spans questionnaire design, data processing, customer experience research, consumer behaviour and market opportunity studies.
Olivia is particularly passionate about ensuring underrepresented communities are heard through research and about widening access to arts and culture.
New Appointment: Jamie Bains, Insights Executive
Jamie Bains joined M·E·L Research in June 2026, bringing over three years’ experience delivering mixed-methods research across policy, cultural and heritage sectors.
Jamie Bains
His passion for values-driven research began during his undergraduate studies in Sociology and Politics, where he developed a strong interest in social justice, inequality and the experiences of underrepresented communities. He later completed a master’s degree in Decolonial Thought and Social Theory at the University of Leeds, specialising in British social histories and the representation of marginalised communities.
Jamie’s research career includes qualitative research with the Department for Work and Pensions, quantitative audience insight at Channel 4, and freelance research and evaluation projects for organisations including Leeds Heritage Theatres, Howard Assembly Rooms and Breaking Barriers Rochdale.
Across all of his work, Jamie is passionate about producing high-quality research that amplifies underrepresented voices while building lasting relationships with clients and participants.
A new role in our Central Services team
New Appointment: James Walsh, AI and Automation Analyst
In this role, James is driving the adoption of AI and automation across the business, helping to improve productivity, streamline processes and enhance operational efficiency. His work supports M·E·L Research’s ongoing commitment to combining innovative technology with human expertise to deliver high-quality, actionable research for our clients.
James Walsh initially joined M·E·L Research as a Fieldwork Supervisor back in 2025, bringing experience in recruitment, account management and marketing.
Following his successful leadership of fieldwork delivery for a major community engagement project, where he managed both recruitment and fieldwork operations while providing account management support, James transitioned into the newly created role of AI and Automation Analyst.
“We’re delighted to welcome Liz, Jamie, Olivia and James to M·E·L Research. Each brings valuable expertise and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality research and evaluation that creates meaningful impact. These appointments strengthen Evaluation, Insights, and Central Services teams, enabling us to continue supporting clients with rigorous evidence, innovative thinking and outstanding service.”
As M·E·L Research continues to grow, investing in talented people remains central to our success. These appointments reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality research and evaluation that helps organisations make better decisions and create positive change for the people and communities they serve.
Need support with your own research or evaluation?
Whether you’re looking to understand your audience, evaluate impact, develop evidence-based strategy or inform future policy, our experienced team is here to help.
Get in touch with the M·E·L Research team today via our ‘Get in touch’ form below to discuss your research or evaluation needs. Alternatively, you can email us at info@melresearch.co.uk.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at Collections Inside & Out, a symposium hosted at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden, bringing together people working across gardens, horticulture, heritage, collections and interpretation.
I was, perhaps, a slight interloper among so many people with deep horticultural expertise but every presentation was incredibly interesting and I learned a lot – and broadly managed to follow the general flow of what was being said (still not 100% au fait with taxa…
We’re pleased to share that our Commercial Director, Elliot Simmonds, will be speaking at the Collections Inside & Out symposium at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden on 24 September 2026. Bringing together professionals working across heritage collections, gardens and landscapes, the symposium will explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor heritage and the opportunities created by thinking about them as part of a connected visitor experience.
Elliot’s session, “Integrating Indoor…
M·E·L Research has been named the winner of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Value & Ethical Research 2026 at the UK Enterprise Awards.
The award recognises the values that shape both the work we choose to undertake and the way we deliver it. From building trauma-informed practices into our research to improving inclusion and reinvesting in the communities around us, social responsibility is part of how we operate every day.
M·E·L Research joined the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) at the House of Lords this week for the launch of a new report exploring the experiences of dyslexic young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Tamsin Maries, Senior Research Manager, and Elliot Simmonds, Commercial Manager, represented M·E·L Research at the event…
New UK-wide research from M·E·L Research’s SPARK report shows improving mental health indicators alongside continuing exposure to suicide, widespread lifetime suicidal thoughts and significant gaps in practical knowledge.
Suicide prevention depends on understanding not only how many people are affected, but also how confident the public feel about recognising risk, starting difficult conversations and finding appropriate support. The Spring 2026 SPARK report from M·E·L Research brings these issues together, providing a detailed picture of attitudes…
M·E·L Research is pleased to be supporting the Diocese of Manchester with an independent consultation to help inform its future leadership. The research will provide opportunities for people connected with diocesan life, as well as members of the wider community, to share their perspectives on the local context, priorities for the years ahead and the qualities that will be important in future leadership.
Across Europe, we have seen devastating wildfires destroy homes, habitats and communities. They offer us a powerful analogy for how we think about suicide prevention.
When a fire is raging, everything must be done to put it out. Firefighters, emergency services and communities mobilise to save lives. But even when the fire is eventually extinguished, enormous damage may already have been done, and recovery can take years. That is why fire services don’t only fight fires. They also invest in prevention: identifying risks, educating people, installing smoke alarms, creating fire breaks and trying to stop…
My son Jools was 14 years old when he died suddenly in April 2022. There was no note. There was no offline evidence that explained why he died. No one had seen or been aware of any adverse mental health issues, and at his original inquest the coroner could not be sure that Jools was in a suicidal mood. More than four years later, I am still trying to understand what happened to my son. Yet one enormous part of Jools’ life was not properly explored following his death: his digital world. Like almost every teenager, Jools had a life on his phone. Social…
