Profile
Biography
Hian Lim graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (First-Class Honours) in 1993 and a Master of Engineering in 1997.
He began his career in 1994 at DSO National Laboratories as a Research Engineer, developing advanced signal-processing algorithms and system designs for radar platforms. Over a 26-year career in the defence sector, he provided technical leadership for multiple national programmes spanning airborne and maritime surveillance radars, satellite imaging systems, underwater sensors and unmanned sensing networks supporting the Singapore Armed Forces.
From 2004 to 2007, he served concurrently as General Manager of CAP VISTA Pte Ltd, the technology venture arm of DSTA, where he managed a S$40 million investment portfolio and gained experience in venture capital and technology commercialisation.
He later spearheaded several major industry–academia collaborations, including STAR (the NUS–DSO Satellite Technology and Advanced Research Laboratory) and Geo-Insights, a geospatial analytics joint venture between ST Engineering and DSO. Internationally, he forged R&D partnerships with organisations in Korea, Germany, France, the United States, Canada and Israel, and co-established SONDRA, a Franco-Singapore research laboratory in electromagnetics and quantum technologies.
As Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Technology) at DSO, Hian Lim led long-term R&D capability development in quantum engineering, advanced microelectronics, photonics, additive manufacturing and 5G/6G connectivity. He also served as Executive Director of the Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn) at EDB in 2019, where he secured a S$150 million national space technology programme. A key milestone of his systems engineering leadership was the development and launch of two Singapore radar-imaging satellites in 2023.
In 2021, he joined the Singapore Food Agency as Deputy CEO, leading strategic planning, digital transformation and industry innovation programmes, including the S$165 million Singapore Food Story R&D initiative and the 30×30 local production strategy.
Since April 2025, he served as Associate Vice President at the Singapore Institute of Technology, leading emerging technology initiatives in Quantum, Embodied AI robotics, Digital Rail Engineering and Food Technology. He has been appointed as Vice Provost (Applied Research) with effect 1st Sep 2026.
He is a five-time recipient of Singapore’s Defence Technology Prize, including the 2016 Individual (Engineering) Award. Hian Lim completed 8 weeks of Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard Business School in 2014. He also completed the Lee Kuan Yew Senior Fellowship for Public Service (SFPS) programme in 2023.