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Sammy Heung

Top molecular geneticist Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming has taken office as the ninth president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), pledging to enhance the institution’s international standing and work on its teaching, research and innovation.
The new vice-chancellor and president also vowed on Wednesday to keep lines of communication open, draw on the university’s collective wisdom and lead it towards a more “sustainable and equitable” future.
Lo arrived at the campus at 8.45am and said he was “honoured” to take up the new position.
“After taking office today, the coming work is expected to be hectic. I will meet with the management team this week and later arrange to meet with faculty members, students and alumni,” he said.
“We are committed to enhancing the international standing of CUHK and make efforts in teaching, research, service and innovation.”
The scientist added he had served CUHK for 27 years, calling the institution his “second home”.
Lo, a pioneer of non-invasive prenatal testing, was the director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences at CUHK and the associate research dean of the university’s medical faculty.
In September, the university’s governing council voted unanimously in favour of appointing Lo, the sole candidate, for a term of a period of five years, succeeding Professor Rocky Tuan Sung-chi.
Tuan handed in his resignation just a week into a new three-year term in January last year, citing personal reasons. He mentioned it was “an opportune moment” for the university to find a new leader.
Tuan had a strained relationship with the governing council, encountering criticism months before his resignation for declining to attend any Legislative Council meetings regarding the restructuring of the body.
Lo also noted he would guarantee close communication between the management team and the governing council.
“Communication is crucial. Thus, our management team and the governing council have close and regular communication,” he said. “We all know the management team and the governing council are committed to the betterment of CUHK, hoping to elevate its international standing.”
He added that he had been meeting with students since his appointment and would arrange more meetings in the future.
The university’s previous student union was disbanded in October 2021, eight months after CUHK management cut ties with it, citing possible breaches of the national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in 2020.
Lo, who earlier expressed support for the re-establishment of the student union, said the university had been communicating with the students and would assist them in completing the process in accordance with the current legislation.

CUHK student newspaper U-Beat Magazine previously produced a report suggesting that the government’s care teams might fail to meet the needs of the community, with evidence showing its section in Tai Wo Hau had asked participants of an event to pose as its volunteers in a photo.
Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Clarence Leung Wang-ching responded by accusing the report of being “unfair” and “even sweeping”.
Lo said the newspaper was an internship opportunity for students, and different views from various sectors of society towards the report also offered them a learning experience.
In an open letter published on Wednesday, he expressed gratitude for the “trust and hope” the university had invested in him.
“It is my enormous privilege to lead this esteemed institution, one that has been known for its steadfast commitment to the unique mission of ‘combining tradition with modernity and bringing together China and the West’ since its establishment in 1963,” he said.
“I shall commit myself to open communication to leverage the collective wisdom of our community to lead this exceptional institution towards a future where we will continue to play an integral part in creating a more sustainable and equitable world.”
In a reply to the Post, CUHK said Tuan would continue to serve as the Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun professor of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
He would also remain a member of CUHK’s Institute of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, as well as the School of Biomedical Sciences, the spokesman said.
A group of alumni and friends of the university including former governing council member Heung Shu-fai announced the establishment of the Rocky Tuan Fund, which will provide financial support for students with special educational needs.
The fund will cover the procurement of equipment, such as wheelchairs, assistive listening and visual devices, laptops and iPads. It will also offer career counselling services and paid internships.


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Education in Hong Kong

Scientist Dennis Lo took office as the ninth CUHK president on Tuesday. Photo: Eugene Lee

The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee

Who is Hong Kong scientist Dennis Lo and what is sole candidate for top CUHK job best known for?

Professor Dennis Lo has been at Chinese University since returning from Britain in 1997. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Dennis Lo is also a founding member of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. Photo: Yik Yeung-man 

Hong Kong molecular geneticist Dennis Lo endorsed by CUHK committee to be next president

Molecular geneticist Professor Dennis Lo has been recommended by a search council to be CUHK’s next president. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Students at the CUHK campus. Professor Lo will meet students, staff and alumni this Thursday. Photo: Eugene Lee

News

Hong Kong

Education

‘We are committed to enhancing the international standing of CUHK and make efforts in teaching, research, service and innovation,’ Professor Dennis Lo says


‘We are committed to enhancing the international standing of CUHK and make efforts in teaching, research, service and innovation,’ Professor Dennis Lo says.


The Chinese University of Hong Kong