Chinese University (CUHK) on Monday confirmed that its governing council will hold a meeting later this week to discuss whether to appoint the associate dean of its medical school, Dennis Lo, as the institution's new vice-chancellor.

Lo is the sole candidate to replace Rocky Tuan in January, after the current vice-chancellor resigned at the start of this year, days into a three-year contract extension.

In an e-mail sent to alumni, the university said Lo will meet students, staff and alumni on Thursday, before the governing council holds a special meeting the day after on his potential appointment.

"Professor Lo is a renowned scholar with outstanding academic and research accomplishments," CUHK said in the email.

The scholar specialises in DNA testing and is well known for inventing non-invasive prenatal diagnosis.

That scientific milestone earned him the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2022, as well as the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2021.