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At the heart of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the LSE Behavioral Lab, is redefining what academic labs can do. The lab supports a full spectrum of human behavior research, from undergraduate training to faculty research, to the lab beginning to venture into commercial collaborations.
We sat down with Sean Rooney, Scientific Officer at LSE’s Department of Psychological and Behavioral Science and Head of Laboratory Innovation at the LSE Behavioral Lab, to understand how the lab operates, how behavioral science is leveraged at LSE, and how iMotions powers crucial parts of this research ecosystem.
Empowering Research and Teaching at All Levels
The lab is designed as a flexible, multidisciplinary space, equipped with 15 cubicles, 7 of which are equipped with the full iMotions Lab software suite. There are also rooms for group work, one-on-one interview rooms, and larger focus rooms that accommodate technologies like virtual reality that require more space to operate.
As Sean Rooney explains, the aim is to create a space that “supports whatever type of research is needed.” That means that from first-year undergraduates learning about reaction time tasks, to final-year students running full-scale studies with eye tracking, GSR, heart rate, respiration, and facial expression analysis, the lab can support them through the entire learning journey.
By their third year, students conduct independent experiments, most often using iMotions, supported by Rooney and his colleagues at the Lab. “They come in with ideas like, ‘I want to use eye tracking,’ and we help guide them through the best way to approach that,” he says. For students and staff alike, iMotions enables rapid setup, centralized synchronization of multiple biosensors, and a streamlined analysis workflow – making experimental research more accessible and scalable than ever.
Importantly, the LSE Behavioral Lab is a resource for the entire university – not just for those affiliated with the two LSE departments that jointly manage the lab, the Department of Psychological and Behavioral Science and the Department of Management.
The facilities are open to any LSE student, regardless of their department or discipline. They receive full instruction on how to operate both the software and hardware, ensuring that all students – regardless of academic background or research focus – can make use of the lab’s technologies when relevant to their study objectives.
Enhancing Research Depth with Multimodal Biosensors
According to Rooney, iMotions has “opened up a whole new dimension” for researchers by providing robust, quantitative metrics that complement qualitative methods. This mixed-methods approach has broadened the scope and depth of research across the university, enabling more complex and exploratory studies.
“Particularly in psychology and behavioral science, people want complex paradigms and fine control,” he notes. “iMotions makes that feasible, especially when integrated with tools like E-Prime or PsychoPy.”
The lab supports a broad range of projects across all the LSE departments. Facial expression analysis initially drew researchers in, but the plug-and-play nature of the platform has allowed it to scale. The ability to quickly set up studies, even with mobile eye tracking, has made iMotions indispensable. “You can get a study going within a couple of hours and test it – off it goes,” says Rooney.
A Platform for Growth – Beyond Academia
The LSE Behavioral Lab doesn’t just support the university’s academic researchers. It plays a vital role in growing the practical skills of students entering the job market. Undergraduates engage in consultancy-style projects, learning how to present behavioral insights to stakeholders. “We train them to be ready for the working world,” says Rooney.
This also feeds into the lab’s emerging role as a consultancy hub. With exposure through the LSE Executive Master’s in Behavioral Science program, students working in industry often return with their companies to initiate collaborations. “They come back 9–10 months later saying, ‘We want to use this space for our project,’” Rooney shares.
Branching Out: Commercial Partnerships Rooted in Academic Integrity
While the LSE Behavioral Lab is, of course, first and foremost an academic institution, it is also quietly shaping a, some would say, bold new model for what a university research lab can be – by venturing into the commercial world of scientific consulting and undertaking commercially funded research projects, all without compromising scientific rigor.
But this isn’t about chasing revenue for revenue’s sake. As Sean Rooney puts it, “Our main goal is always impactful research.” Commercial collaborations are carefully selected based on their scientific merit and alignment with the lab’s values of methodological rigor and real-world relevance. Projects are only accepted if they can meet LSE’s high ethical standards and academic expectations.
Importantly, LSE has institutional structures in place to uphold integrity even when working with external clients. All commercial research is vetted by the lab team, LSE Consulting, and senior university management. In many cases, academic staff remain fully involved in the research process – from study design to analysis to publication.
At the same time, taking on commercial projects helps the lab stay ahead of the game. As Sean Rooney puts it: “…as an entity – as a lab – there are costs involved. So I think part of it is also about allowing people to use the space and utilize the equipment in a way that helps us stay cutting edge, to stay ahead of the game”.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Impact and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
The lab’s five-year vision includes expanding its services to other institutions and industries, applying for large-scale grants, and continuing to act as a hub for interdisciplinary research. Virtual reality, remote data collection, and synthetic participants powered by AI are all areas of active exploration.
“We want to upskill students and academics alike,” says Rooney. “Biosensors offer powerful, quantitative support for exploratory studies. They enrich research and open new possibilities.”
