On November 21, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the election of 73 new academicians and 27 foreign members. A total of 144 individuals were elected across both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, marking a significant milestone in China’s scientific community. The new academicians include 13 women, the youngest being 44 years old, and two prominent figures from private technology enterprises—Lian Yubo from BYD and Wu Kai from CATL—reflecting a growing emphasis on industry-driven innovation and national strategic needs. Lian Yubo, chief scientist and chief automotive engineer at BYD, was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering. A long-time leader in new energy vehicle R&D, Lian has led the development of several landmark electric vehicle models and overcome key technological bottlenecks in electric powertrain systems. His election symbolizes the transition of China’s new energy industry from follower to global leader, and highlights the increasing recognition of industry pioneers within the national academic system. Wu Kai, chief scientist at CATL, was also elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Over more than a decade, he led breakthroughs in foundational materials, battery systems, and manufacturing equipment, achieving world-leading results in the field of electrochemical energy storage. His work has been deployed in over 80 countries, solidifying China’s dominant position in the global battery market. His election underscores the central role of energy storage technologies in national carbon neutrality goals and the strategic shift in academic recognition toward critical, high-impact fields. Notably, the 2025 election introduced eight special slots for top private technology enterprises, a new policy that directly enabled the election of experts from CATL and BYD. This reform reflects a broader effort to align academic recognition with national priorities and technological self-reliance. The youngest new academician is Liu Ruochuan, a 44-year-old professor and deputy dean at Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences. A leading figure in p-adic Hodge theory and p-adic automorphic forms, Liu has made groundbreaking contributions, including solving long-standing conjectures in p-adic modular forms and developing novel computational methods for topological cyclic homology. His work has opened new research frontiers in arithmetic geometry and algebraic topology. In a major step toward gender diversity, 13 women were elected to the academies. Among them, Hu Hailan from Zhejiang University is renowned for her research on the neural mechanisms of social competition and depression, offering new insights into mental health treatment. Dr. Zhu Lan, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, has revolutionized pelvic floor surgery, improving success rates to over 90% and significantly reducing the prevalence of urinary incontinence in China. Wang Yanfen, a geographer and ecologist from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made key contributions to grassland ecosystem modeling and sustainable management in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Other notable women include He Yuanyu, a satellite communications expert who led the development of a next-generation communication system, and Zhang Yanning, a computer vision and AI researcher at Northwestern Polytechnical University, whose work supports satellite data processing and flood monitoring. Huang Weina, a chief designer at AVIC, played a pivotal role in developing the “Minshan” turbofan engine for China’s L-15 trainer aircraft. Wang Xiaoyun, chief engineer at China Mobile, was instrumental in advancing TD-LTE and 5G standards, while Zhou Jianhua contributed to the design and operation of the BeiDou navigation system for over two decades. In the field of energy and materials, Li Hongxia developed high-temperature thermal barrier coatings for gas turbines and contributed to reusable space vehicles. Nie Hong led breakthroughs in clean diesel technology and bio-aviation fuel, enabling the use of waste cooking oil in C919 aircraft testing. Wang Hongning pioneered a comprehensive biosecurity system for livestock diseases, reducing antibiotic use by up to 97%. Zhao Shuhong advanced pig breeding through genomic tools, creating new lines with improved meat quality and disease resistance. Gao Yue developed a scientific framework for evaluating the safety of traditional Chinese medicine, uncovering the mechanisms behind herbal compatibility. Although institutions like Westlake University and Ningbo Institute of Technology did not produce new academicians this year, several of their faculty—such as Tang Leihan, Wang Xujia, and Chai Jijie from Westlake, and Wei Suhuai and Cai Zongwei from Ningbo—were among the candidates, signaling their rising academic stature. The selection process emphasized major contributions, academic excellence, and ethical integrity, with a strong focus on researchers working in national priority areas, emerging disciplines, interdisciplinary fields, and major infrastructure projects. The election process actively rejected the "Four Only" criteria (only degrees, only titles, only papers, only funding), broke through seniority-based barriers, and prioritized real-world impact over academic credentials. This year’s election reflects a dynamic and inclusive evolution in China’s scientific elite, balancing tradition with innovation, and placing greater value on practical contributions to national development.