The closing of 2023 was a remarkable one for The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), as its members collected important laurels and recognition worldwide.
13 CUHK scholars named Highly Cited Researchers 2023
This is the highest number of CUHK scholars to be named on the list since 2018. In 2023, professors from the faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Science joined the annual list, which was unveiled on 15 November by Clarivate Analytics. It acknowledges researchers who have published multiple highly cited papers, ranking within the top 1% globally in citations, over the past decade. The full list of the 13 CUHK scholars is available here.
Professor Dennis Lo celebrates double achievements
Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming from CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine), who is widely known as the “father of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)”, which benefits approximately 10 million pregnant women in over 100 countries every year, has been given two very important accolades.
First, he was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in November 2023 for his contribution to life sciences and medical research, making him the only new member from Hong Kong among the 59 elected in 2023. Including Professor Lo, CUHK has now a total of eight CAS members.
Later in December, he became the inaugural winner of Tengchong Science Award for his research achievements in liquid biopsy, making a significant contribution to research into non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and various cancer detection techniques. This is the first science award launched entirely in mainland China and open to national and international nominations, and it does not accept self-recommendations or applications.
In the coming years, Professor Lo will continue to focus on cancer research, with the aim of lowering the mortality rate from the disease through early detection technologies, and will also continue to nurture the next generation of scientists.
Professor Siew Ng selected as a 2023 New Cornerstone Investigator
Professor Siew Ng, also from CU Medicine, became the first and only Hong Kong scholar in the field of Biology and Biomedical Sciences to be selected as a 2023 New Cornerstone Investigator, under the independent, non-profit New Cornerstone Investigator Program funding initiative from Tencent. She will be awarded an initial five-year grant with an annual budget of RMB5 million.
She is also one of only five female scientists selected this year. Dedicated to exploring uncharted territory, she will make use of the funding to research diet-microbiome-immune interactions, aiming to discover how the food we eat regulates the trillions of microbes in the gut that trigger inflammation and immune dysfunction.
