About Robert Lim
Lived 1897 – 1969 (aged 71). Robert Lim was an American and Chinese physician and physiologist.
Robert Kho-Seng Lim (; 15 October 1897 – 8 July 1969), also known as Bobby Lin, was a Singaporean medical doctor.
Life Lim was born in Singapore in 1897. He was the son of Lim Boon Keng, who promoted social and educational reforms in Singapore and China.
The family moved to Edinburgh in Scotland when he was eight. He attended George Watson's College. During the World War I, he volunteered for and served in the Indian army medical service. In 1916, he returned to Edinburgh for medical studies, and graduated in 1919 with a MB ChB in medicine from the University of Edinburgh, where he subsequently earned a PhD in 1921, and a DSc in 1923. Aged 26, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, proposers were Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, William White Taylor, Arthur Robertson Cushny, and George Barger.
Lim was awarded a Rockefeller fellowship in 1924, and used this to travel to the United States. He worked in the department of physiology in the University of Chicago before he was appointed associate professor, then head of department at the Peking Union Medical College. He was the founder of the Chinese Physiological Society.
In 1929, Lim became a trustee of the 'Nanyang Club' in Penang, appointed by Cheah Cheang Lim. Other trustees included Queen's scholars Dr Wu Lien-teh and Wu Lai Hsi, and Rockefeller Fellowship scholar and PUMC colleague, Dr Lim Chong Eang. The 'Nanyang Club' is an old house in Peiping, China and was used to provide convenient accommodation to overseas Chinese friends. In 1969, Lim moved to Jamaica where his son lived, to be with his family. Lim died on 8 July 1969.
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Important facts
People in Robert Lim's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Robert Lim's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Robert Lim?
Chinese physician (1897-1969)
When was Robert Lim born?
Robert Lim was born on 15 October 1897 in Singapore.
When did Robert Lim die?
Robert Lim died on 8 July 1969 in Elkhart.
What was Robert Lim's occupation?
Robert Lim was a physician and physiologist.
What nationality was Robert Lim?
Robert Lim was American and Chinese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Robert Lim. https://biography.guide/robert-lim/
MLA: "Robert Lim." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/robert-lim/.
Chicago: "Robert Lim." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/robert-lim/.
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