His research focus is at the intersection of environmental management, environmental engineering, and sustainability science. He examines the environmental sustainability of the built environment and evaluates technologies and pathways that support sustainable transitions. His teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include sustainability, life cycle assessment, carbon accounting, water management, and energy transition.

He has authored more than 50 publications, including papers in leading academic journals such as Applied Energy, Environmental Science & Technology, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, and Water Research. His recent research project on the environmental sustainability assessment of resource recovery from municipal wastewater received funding from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology.

Lam has a B.Eng. in chemical and environmental engineering (with a minor in liberal studies) and an M.Phil. in chemical and biomolecular engineering (energy technology concentration) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a Ph.D. from the University of Queensland. Before joining Duke Kunshan, he was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at Delft University of Technology.