A total of 144 new academicians from China and 51 from abroad were added to the registry on Friday by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

An academician is the highest academic title in China for science and research workers, and the list is expanded every two years.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences added 73 fellows from China, including five females. The cumulative number of domestic members of the academy has reached 908.

The average age of the new domestic members is 57.2, ranging from 44 to 66. Members aged 60 and under account for 67.1 percent of the newly added.

The science academy also added 27 foreign members from 15 other countries, bringing the total number of overseas academicians to 173.

As for the Chinese Academy of Engineering, it welcomed 71 new members from China and 24 from overseas, adding up to the total to 1,002 academicians from China and 148 from other countries.

The newly elected members featured several outstanding experts who lead major projects and undertake key research tasks in the field of national defense and security, as well as distinguished experts from leading private technology companies such as the electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd and the auto brand BYD.

Six experts, who have been working in remote western regions, and eight female scientists were also granted the honor this year.

"This round of academician selections has further optimized the age structure, disciplinary distribution, and regional and sectoral representation of the academician team," said the academy.