Four Chinese scientists were elected as Foreign Members of the Royal Society. (From left to right and from top to bottom in sequence are: Prof. HAN Bin, Prof. HUANG Sanwen, Prof. WANG Yifang, and Prof. YANG Xueming)  

The Royal Society, the UK's national academy of sciences, announced on May 20 the election of 24 Foreign Members in recognition of their exceptional contributions to scientific advancement. Among the newly elected Foreign Members are four prominent Chinese scientists — HAN Bin, HUANG Sanwen, WANG Yifang, and YANG Xueming — all members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Prof. HAN Bin, director of the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology), led his team to achieve breakthroughs, including the first complete sequencing of rice chromosome 4 and the first genome-wide association studies in rice.

Dedicated to rice genomics, population genetics, and the domestication history of cultivated rice, he has also made pivotal contributions through the cloning and characterization of key domestication-related genes (e.g., those governing seed hull color and awn length), systematic identification of genome-wide domestication loci, and unraveling the evolutionary origins and domestication processes of rice. These achievements have advanced the field of rice genetics.

Prof. HUANG Sanwen serves as the president of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. As a pioneer in genome-designed breeding for potatoes and vegetables, he developed a revolutionary system for hybrid potato breeding, marking the first successful transition of asexually propagated crops to sexual reproduction in agricultural history.

Additionally, HUANG decoded the chemical and genetic mechanisms underlying tomato flavor and cucumber bitterness, bridging the gap between genomic design and new variety development.

Prof. WANG Yifang from the Institute of High Energy Physics of CAS successfully led the design and construction of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment, which precisely measured the neutrino mixing angle θ13 — a critical parameter in neutrino physics.

WANG also led the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment to measure the neutrino mass hierarchy using reactor neutrinos and developed a new type of 20-inch micro-channel-based photomultiplier for this purpose.

Prof. YANG Xueming is from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. He has pioneered studies in chemical reaction dynamics. His work clarified kinetic distinctions between potential barrier-type quantum transition and reaction resonance states. By developing high-resolution, high-sensitivity molecular beam techniques, he revealed quantum resonances and geometric phase effects in chemical reactions. He also discovered "roaming" reaction channels in highly excited molecular states for the first time.

In 2017, YANG led the construction of China's first large-scale free-electron laser facility, which has reached international leading standards for scientific research.

Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, welcomed the latest cohort of outstanding researchers, stating, "From addressing global health challenges to reimagining the frontiers of AI for humanity, their work exemplifies the power of curiosity-driven research and innovation."  

Founded in 1660, the Royal Society is the world's oldest continuously operating scientific academy, with a current fellowship exceeding 1,800 members. Its distinguished alumni include scientific giants such as Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and Albert Einstein.