Tan read engineering at
Imperial College and law at the
University of Oxford. After working at the
Economic Development Board and the
Monetary Authority of Singapore, he joined the faculty of NUS in 1982 and subsequently became a law professor in 2000. By 2021, he was the longest-serving member of Singapore Academy of Law's Law Reform Committee. On his appointment, NUS Law Dean
Tan Cheng Han noted, "It is befitting that the inaugural appointee is Professor Tan Yock Lin. Besides sharing a deep practice in the law, both Professor Tan and Professor Bartholomew started out as economists. Though their paths may not quite have crossed, each has left indelible footprints for the rest of us to follow. Just as Professor Bartholomew had touched many lives in his time at the University, Prof Tan continues to share his wealth of experience and knowledge with many of our law students." He received the Long Service Medal in 2013. In 2021, he was appointed emeritus professor at NUS. == Death ==