HTX Pioneers: Of boundless zeal

This personality profile is part of a series of stories about Xponents who have been with HTX since the very beginning. Their contributions have been pivotal to the growth of the agency, which was founded on 1 December 2019.

Lim Chin Chin is arguably one of the most diminutive Xponents in HTX, but don’t let her size fool you – the infectious energy she has brimming within makes her stand out wherever she goes.

Just ask around and most people would agree that the director of HTX’s Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE) has a relentlessly sprightful nature. In fact, the woman herself admits that she can at times get “a little cuckoo”, especially when she’s doing what she enjoys.

Take for example the HTX Annual Walk & Run event. Chin Chin was so determined to contribute to her team’s total mileage that she resorted to skipping breakfast for the entire challenge duration of 10 days just so she could spend an additional hour clocking some distance.

And in addition to her three-kilometre walk during lunch hours, Chin Chin ended her workday by walking in Bishan Park for a whopping four hours every day.

This almost-obsessive personality, she noted, is something that has been evident ever since she was a kid.

“My mum once told my kids that I used to love doing assessment books so much that I’d bug her for money so that I could buy more books,” she quipped.

“What can I say? When I love doing something, I always go all out!”

Her love for learning naturally saw her do well in school, especially in the math and sciences, which intrigued her the most. In fact, she was so eager to learn more about chemistry that she enquired about undertaking a part-time chemist job within Chartered Industries of Singapore (today known as ST Engineering), which manufactured ammunition, during her holidays in university.

But as there was no such role available, Chin Chin settled for a part-time job with the company that most of her peers would never have thought of doing – assembling large caliber cartridges at a factory along Rifle Range Road.

Given the seemingly hazardous nature of this part-time job, it was perhaps unsurprising that she almost met with a workplace mishap. However, this incident had nothing to do with ammunition – she simply let her unbridled sense of curiosity get the better of her during her lunch break.

“I remember spotting an unattended forklift and I just decided to give it a go. I mean, I saw the workers operating it all the time and it just seemed easy enough to drive,” she quipped.

“I started to go faster as I became more and more confident about operating the vehicle. But at one point, while navigating a roundabout, the forklift nearly turned turtle because I was just going too fast!”

After graduating from junior college, Chin Chin secured a spot at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in chemistry. She eventually graduated with Second Upper Honours and went on to pursue a Master of Science in chemistry at NUS.

An unrelenting passion

Chin Chin’s first job was with the Department of Scientific Services, which is today known as Health Sciences Authority (HSA). But as her role did not involve any chemical synthesis, the young scientist simply couldn’t help but find ways to indulge her love for chemistry.

“I even went to the extent of analysing ink from documents using spectroscopic methods even though this wasn’t required then,” she quipped.

“I also remember that there was a growing number of cases involving the tampering of passports and my laboratory was tasked to perform tests on materials used to make passports. I was so eager to be involved that I literally begged my seniors to allow me to do the tests – because this meant getting to work with chemicals in the lab!”

Chin Chin was later transferred to the Criminalistics Lab, which handled forensic investigations into matters like arson, firearms, trace evidence, blood and vandalism. During her time here, she and her supervisor steadily expanded the scope and reputation of this lab and pioneered the development of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and Forensic Reconstruction in Singapore, a feat that has since enhanced the Singapore Police Force’s ability to solve crimes.

Between Jan 2001 and Aug 2002, Chin Chin took a sabbatical from her job to accompany her husband, a Republic of Singapore Air Force officer who was posted to Cazaux Air Base in France. But instead of taking this opportunity to slow her life down, the travelling spouse kept herself very, very busy.

Besides looking after the kids and attending to the household chores, Chin Chin frequently attended the complimentary French language lessons with the spouses of other Singaporean RSAF personnel stationed there. She also took this time to expand her culinary repertoire, buying numerous cookbooks and learning how to prepare a wide range of Singaporean fare, including chicken rice, chwee kueh, soon kueh, pulot hitam and even Nonya delicacies. She also painted regularly.

As if all this wasn’t enough to keep her ever-restless mind occupied, Chin Chin also pursued a Master of Business Administration.

After returning to Singapore, she rose to become the director of the forensic science division at HSA. She also saw her fair share of action away from the lab, having on many occasions provided expert testimony in court, including for major and politically sensitive cases in Singapore like the Yishun Triple Murder, the One-eye Dragon firearms case, and the suicide of American researcher Shane Todd.

Following an eventful career at HSA that spanned 18 years, she left the civil service in search of a new challenge. In October 2013, she co-founded The Forensic Experts Group (TFEG), Singapore’s first private forensic company delivering services across multiple forensic domains.

Driven by mission

Seven years into her new adventure in 2020, her head was turned because she was presented with an opportunity to make a difference to a mission much bigger than her company.

The offer, which came straight from the chief executive of HTX Chan Tsan, was for her to helm the Forensics CoE at the agency and be directly involved in enhancing the forensic investigation capabilities of the entire Home Team.

Although it was the toughest decision she had to make at the time, her desire to evoke a positive change in the implementation of forensic science in Singapore silenced all doubts within her. In 2021, she made her return to the civil service.

“A sense of mission has always been very important to me. My parents always reiterated how it is important to put the nation before self, and that we should always strive to contribute to the betterment of society,” recalled Chin Chin.

“My mother also had a big influence on me as she used to be a Chinese teacher.  Seeing how hard she worked to help her students always inspired me.”

Chin Chin pointed out that her mother was once asked if she could take charge of the new art extracurricular activity in school. But instead of declining the request because of a lack of experience, she spent her own money to learn more about the discipline before committing to the role.

“Her unwavering sense of responsibility and belief in nurturing others – I think a lot of that rubbed off on me,” she said.

Since joining HTX, Chin Chin has taken steps to push the boundaries of forensic investigations in Singapore and induce more proactivity into the process.

One project that exemplifies this is related to hastening the entry of forensic investigators in post-blast investigations. This is important because the longer the delay, the higher the chance of evidence being contaminated, or lost due to environmental factors.

“This is where the tech that HTX has can come into play. With the chemical, gas and radiological sensors that Forensics CoE has developed and integrated into the robotic platforms from HTX’s Q Team and Robotics, Automation & Unmanned Systems (RAUS) CoE, investigators don’t have to wait for the scene to be deemed safe because the robots can be deployed to detect and collect evidence in a volatile situation,” she explained.

In addition, the team has developed and established pharmacological testing capabilities to address the growing issue of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), as well as set up the FIRST (Forensic Innovation and Research for Strategic Transformation) Lab, a national facility for testing such substances.

Her contributions to the forensics field in Singapore have not gone unnoticed.

Over the past 30 years ago, Chin Chin has won a multitude of awards, including the National Day Commendation Medal in 2006, the Ideal Leader Award at HTX, and the HSA Living Core Values Distinction Award, the highest honour in the agency.

In November 2024, she was presented with the NUS Outstanding Science Alumni Award.

Most people would point to the seemingly boundless energy she has as the catalyst behind her success.

Chin Chin, however, begs to differ.

“I don’t think this is about me having a lot of zest for life. Rather, it’s simply a case of me doing what I love,” she mused.

“Do you know the adage that goes, ‘If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life?’ That certainly rings true for me!”