How It Started
On 21st July, 2025,
four enthusiastic students came knocking on Dr Mah’s office door, seeking an opportunity to work as research assistants for her. Believing in her core values, Dr Mah decided to establish ALiEN Lab despite it being an informal lab.
She did not only want to provide her students with hands-on experience in real-world academic projects, but she also hoped that experimental psychology, her expertise, could be viewed as accessible and engaging instead of procedural and rigorous.
1st gen RAs
This core value was translated into multiple lab activities in 2025, including a lab tour and eye-tracker demonstration at University of Nottingham Malaysia, a PsychoPy workshop in Sunway University, and a visit to Mapúa University, Philippines.
The Gen 2 RAs
During the beginning of 2026, five more bright young minds joined ALiEN lab to become the 2nd generation RAs.
From sparking an AI project idea over a croissant and accepting a study on risky financial decisions by a beautiful mistake, to pursuing a cross-cultural language study spin-off and conducting a Schizotypy study as a Graduation Appreciation Project, our projects were always born with a free-flow mindset and delivered with a committed and passionate heart.
Recruiting 3rd gen RAs
As our first generation research assistants spread their wings to explore the world beyond academia, we have continued to honour our values when recruiting our third generation research assistants, specifically to work on our AI project.
With a fun spirit, a strong faith in the next generation, and an unconditional dedication to go beyond the norms of experimental psychology, we strive to spread the love for psychology and cultivate more young talent in the road ahead.