Chaeyoon Lim's research focuses on two broad issues: the social and institutional foundations of social solidarity and collective action, and religious changes and their consequences in contemporary society. His work engages with several fields in sociology, including the sociology of religion, social capital, social movements, political sociology, and sociology of culture. His works have been published in numerous journals including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, and Sociological Science, and received multiple awards. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Before joining Washington University in St. Louis, he was on the faculty of the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.