Veteran French physicist elected to Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tianjin-based French physicist Pierre Agostini has been elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), according to the list of additions which was released by CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) on Friday.

Six other scholars from Tianjin were among those on this year's elected list. Their research spans strategic national frontiers such as chemistry, materials science, life and health, and intelligent manufacturing. With the current round of additions, CAS now has 908 academicians, while CAE has 1,002.

Agostini, who earned his PhD from Aix-Marseille University in France in 1968, was appointed as an honorary professor at Nankai University in 2024, where he established the International Joint Research Center for Ultrafast Optics and Applications.

Specializing in ultrafast photonics, Agostini first discovered above-threshold ionization in laser-atom interactions in 1979 and experimentally achieved 250-attosecond ultrafast laser output in 2001. He was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for "experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter".

The six other experts from Tianjin who were elected as CAS and CAE academicians are Chen Yongsheng from Nankai University and Hu Wenping from Tianjin University to CAS; and Cheng Bowen from Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Cheng Tao from the Institute of Hematology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wang Zengquan from the No. 70 Research Institute of China North Industries Group Corporation, and Lei Zengguang from the China National Nuclear Corporation to the CAE.

Hu Wenping has long been dedicated to the study of organic semiconductor physical chemistry and is one of China's leading scholars in organic semiconductor crystal engineering and field-effect transistor device physics.

Cheng Tao, a prominent researcher in hematology and regenerative medicine, has made groundbreaking discoveries in hematopoietic disorders caused by chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, or severe radiation damage, as well as in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) research.

Wang Zengquan has focused on special vehicle engine research, serving as chief designer for multiple advanced power systems and spearheading breakthroughs in key technologies, significantly enhancing China's independent R&D capabilities in specialized engines.

Chen Yulu, president of Nankai University, said that Agostini's collaboration with the university in establishing the international research center will help advance the development of optics and related disciplines. Yulu added that the university will continue to support high-level research at the center, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensure its sustained growth.

Speaking at last month's Tianjin Forum, Agostini expressed his commitment to advancing cutting-edge scientific projects and pursuing tangible achievements at the research center.

Wang Nanyi contributed to this story.