Dr Lin studied medicine at the National University of Singapore, and specialized in medical microbiology, obtaining the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 1994. He spent a year at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where he obtained an MSc with Distinction in 1991.
Dr Lin started as a medical microbiologist at the Singapore General Hospital, then moved to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and later to the National University Hospital, where he still heads the microbiology laboratory. He started the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) under the Ministry of Health in 2007, and this laboratory supports surveillance and outbreak investigation of communicable diseases in the country. The scope of the NPHL covers bacteria (e.g. salmonellae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, antimicrobial resistance), viruses (e.g. enterovirus, influenza viruses, HIV, influenza, biothreat agents) and parasites (e.g. malaria).
In addition to his work in public health and clinical microbiology, he is an advisor on Biosafety to the Ministry of Health, chairs the technical committee for medical testing under the Singapore Accreditation Council, and is a member of the research committee of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee. He teaches at the National University of Singapore where he holds a conjoint appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.