WP. Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
๐๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ. ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ต๐ฉ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ, ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ง๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ. What could you do to make your life happier, more meaningful, and more psychologically enriched? Answers to some of lifeโs most important questions can be found in psychological science. I am an ardent believer in the transformative power of psychology, particularly emotional intelligence and positive psychology, in helping people live more fully. I am a social science scholar during the day, an author on weekends, a trainer when Iโm away from the university, and a science communicator when the radio station rings me up to share research in a jargon-free manner. My scientific research interests primarily focus on the study of human emotion and flourishing. My work has been published in academic journals including Emotion Review, The Leadership Quarterly, and The Asian Journal of Social Psychology. I also serve as an editorial board member for The Journal of Organizational Behavior and The Asian Journal of Social Psychology. In practice, I am a Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) Certified Practitioner and also a Reflected Best Self Exercise (RBSE) Certified Facilitator. Part of my work also involves collaborating with private and not-for-profit practitioners to identify training need areas and developing a series of hands-on and evidence-based approaches to enhance emotional intelligence and flourishing. A list of industry partners I have collaborated with as part of training and in a more consultative role include Pepperl + Fuchs, The Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), Aesculap Academy, B.Braun, YTL Creative Communications, Lazada, JP Morgan, New Zealand High Commission and World Vision Malaysia. Scientific knowledge and research should be shared if they are useful in helping people live better lives. As part of my initiative to share knowledge and disseminate scientific findings, I founded www.emotivity.my, which features content on the scientific study of emotions and positive psychology. I am also the author and/or co-author of 4 books: The Tyranny of Speed: How to Reclaim Your Time in a Hurried World (2025), The Science of Feelings (2021/2025); Mindfulness and Emotions (2019) and Of Bromances and Biting Cute Babies (2018). The Science of Feelings was awarded one of the 50 Best Titles for International Rights by the National Book Council of Malaysia, Ministry of Education. What would you do differently if you knew what the scientific evidence says about living more fully?
Since my promotion to full professor in March 2025, I have continued to teach, publish research, and continue to engage with members of the public through my science communication initiatives. These include speaking engagements, conducting practical workshops on positive psychology such as Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP). I continue to write for the general readership and am also focused on creating new learning opportunities related to the science of well-being and flourishing.
In my current role, I have spearheaded changes to teaching, assessment, and supervision processes. These include enhancing teaching materials to be more interactive, adapting assessments to meet demands of student learning, and leading mental health initiatives to foster student and staff well-being during the pandemic. My research has also reflected the demands of the challenges faced during the last 2-3 years. I have collaborated with researchers around the world in studies of psychological processes and resources that cultivate strengths in the service of fostering resilience and emotional agility. I have also continued to engage with organizations and members of the general public across a range of outreach initiatives to improve education and awareness of how science can improve psychological well-being and growth. Given the transition to online learning in March 2020 given COVID-19 restrictions, I have been able to successfully tailor my teaching approach to accommodate studentsโ learning preferences and help them meet the course learning outcomes. This involved preparation of accessible and download-friendly pre-recorded lecture materials, writing of lecture transcripts for all lessons, and the provision of supplementary materials that support online learning. I have also utilized appropriate learning tools to engage learners during my synchronous office hours sessions. In 2022-2023, I took a sabbatical to complete a Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania. I have since returned to full-time academic work, engage in teaching, research, and practice via outreach and science communication efforts in areas related to emotional intelligence and positive psychology.
During this period, I developed and taught a wide range of undergraduate psychology courses, including Understanding and Managing Emotions, Evolutionary Psychology, Positive Psychology, Contextual Intelligence, and Scientific Thinking and Academic Writing. Throughout my academic career, I have supervised more than 300 undergraduate Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) thesis projects, along with more than 30 postgraduate projects My studentsโ research work has been accepted for presentations at both the international and regional levels. A number have also been successful in their application to Masters and PhD programs in prestigious international universities such as Utrecht University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Lancaster University (United Kingdom). I was also involved in the curriculum development for the Bachelor of Psychology (Hons). Program and served in a range of academic administrative roles. These include Research Coordinator (June 2014-May 2022); Ethics Review Board (ERB) Committee Member (June 2014-May 2022) and Departmental Assessment Investigative Committee/Board of Investigation (DAIC/BI; January 2018-May 2022).
In this role, I was a Graduate Tutor at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law where I taught courses such as Leading and Managing People, Managerial Skills and Communication, and Introduction to Organizational Behaviour. I also served as a Research Assistant on a range of different management-related research projects.