Profile
Elliot CHAN
Research Assistant
Elliot Chan is a Singapore-based researcher and filmmaker whose work explores the intersection of psychology, technology, and the built environment. Since 2012, he has been a researcher at Culture Science Innovations, where his studies investigate how environmental design, soundscapes, and sensory conditions affect human cognition, emotion, and wellbeing.
A graduate of the University at Buffalo with a degree in Psychology, Elliot’s research focuses on understanding how the human mind and body respond to environmental and technological stimuli. His work combines both behavioral and physiological approaches, employing tools such as EEG, ECG/EKG, EDA/GSR, PPG, eye-tracking, face tracking, and fMRI to measure attention, fatigue, emotional response, and recovery.
Elliot has contributed to interdisciplinary projects with partners from Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), and the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI), as well as organizations including the Housing & Development Board (HDB), Republic of Singapore Navy, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), and L’Oréal. His research spans topics such as cognitive fatigue and heart rate variability, attention restoration through natural soundscapes, the psychological impact of drone noise, and the use of virtual and underground environments in workplace design.
Beyond academia, Elliot brings an unconventional breadth of experience to his work. Having previously been a magician, police officer, martial arts instructor, stunt performer, cinematographer, and film director, he approaches research and storytelling with a distinctive multidisciplinary perspective. He is also the founder of Elliot Chan Productions, a film production company that produces narrative films and commercials combining cinematic artistry with psychological insight.
Singapore - NTU
Researchers
CLIC
Research Interest
Research Interests
• Environmental psychology and human wellbeing
• Cognitive fatigue and mental recovery
• Psychophysiological measurement (EEG, ECG, EDA, PPG, eye-tracking, fMRI)
• Effects of soundscapes and acoustic environments on attention and emotion
• Human–technology interaction and sensory design
• Facial expression analysis and affective computing
• Virtual and augmented environments for behavioral research
• Psychological responses to urban and architectural design
• Human factors in drone and aviation noise perception
• Interdisciplinary methods bridging psychology, engineering, and design
Key Publications
Jabar, S. B., Lee, K. F. A., Chan, E., Ang, J. W. A., Lam, B., Boey, V., Lee, I., Gan, W.-S., & Christopoulos, G. I. (2026). Augmented soundscaping improves psychophysiological markers of mental fatigue and recovery. Building and Environment, 287(Part B), 113873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113873
Lee, K. F. A., Chan, E., Car, J., Gan, W.-S., & Christopoulos, G. (2022). Lowering the sampling rate: Heart rate response during cognitive fatigue. Biosensors (Basel), 12(5), 315. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12050315
Gan, W.-S., Christopoulos, G. I., Lee, K. F. A., & Chan, Y. J. E. (2021). Do natural sounds enhance attention restoration in a noisy environment? OSF Preprints.
Chan E., C., Christopoulos, G. I., Low K. H., Lim B. C. (2021). Evaluation of annoyance responses to drone sounds: an experimental investigation. submitted to 2021 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS).
Wang, C. H. J., Low, K. H., Ng, E. M., & Chan, Y. J. E. (2020, June 8). Data analysis on track deviation of UAS operating under visual line of sight (VLoS) condition (AIAA 2020-2899). In Urban and Rural UAS Integration: Safety and Legal Perspectives. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-2899
Roberts, A. C., Yeap, Y. W., Seah, H. S., Chan, E., Soh, C. K., & Christopoulos, G. I. (2019). Assessing the suitability of virtual reality for psychological testing. Psychological assessment, 31(3), 318.
Su, Y., Roberts, A., Luo, C., Yap, H.S., Chan, E., Car, J., Kwok, K.W., Soh, C.K., Christopoulos, G.I. (2018). Shall We have underground office spaces? Underground workspaces do not affect office work's perception of workspace and job satisfaction. 16th World Conference of the Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space, ACUUS 2018; Hong Kong
Christopoulos, G., Seah, H.S., Yeap Y.W., Roberts, A., Chan E., Marmuther V, SOH C.K. (2018). A Customizable, Virtual-Reality-Based, Assessment, Design and Training tool for underground office spaces. 16th World Conference of the Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space, ACUUS 2018; Hong Kong
Chan E., Yeap Y.W., Seah H.S., Soh C.K., Christopoulos G. (2018). Virtual-Reality System for Psychological Testing of Environmental Factors. Presented at The 30th Associate for Psychological Science Annual Convention, San Francisco, USA.
Yap, Wei Jie, George I Christopoulos, and Elliot Chan (2016). “Nanyang Facial Emotional Expression (N-FEE) Database: Development and Validation”. Poster presented at The 23rd Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Nagoya, Japan.