Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has been elected to the Foreign Membership of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, according to the CAS.

Including Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton, the Royal Society permanent membership symbolizes the highest level in the UK science circle.

In a Royal Society statement, Bai was described as one of the pioneers in the field of nanoscience who has outstanding scientific achievements as well as a leadership role in China's science circle.

According to its official website, the Royal Society, founded in the 1660s, is the national Academy of science in the UK and a self-governing fellowship of distinguished scientists in various areas of science, engineering and medicine.

In a statement released Saturday, the CAS said it has been keeping a close cooperative parntership with the society in hot spot fields such as climate change and synthetic biology.

Together with Bai, leading Chinese-American physics scientist and Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu was also elected to the society's foreign membership.