Professor Lam is architect and researcher who specializes in computational design support systems for total building performance analysis and building diagnostics. He isa Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities Ltd., Singapore, and Advisory Board member of Delos, USA, which established the world's first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. He is a building performance consultant for several major award-winning projects and certified green buildings in the private and public sectors in Singapore, China and USA.

He was awarded the 2013 Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation from the US National Science Foundation “for exemplary research contribution to technology innovation and positive impact on technology, industry and the society as a whole”. He also received the IBM Faculty Award in 2010. He was conferred the inaugural iBuildSG LEAD Distinguished Fellow by the Building andConstruction Authority, Singapore in 2020.