OREANDA-NEWS. A scientist graduating from a university based in China's Anhui province has been elected as a member of one of the United States' most prestigious honorary societies for top scientists, scholars, writers and artists.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) announced Wednesday its list of newly-elected members for 2013, including Zhuang Xiaowei, a biophysicist and professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics at Harvard University, and another two Chinese scientists.

Zhuang graduated from the Gifted Young College under  the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC),  one of the best universities in China, in 1987 before getting a Ph.D in physics from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2012, the 41-year-old genius became the youngest Chinese member of the United States' National Academy of Sciences.

Established in 1780, the AAAS has a membership of over 4,000, including more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60-odd Pulitzer Prize winners.

Well-known Chinese fellows on the roster include Hu Shi (Hu Shih), Qian Xuesen, Li Zhengdao (Tsung Dao Lee) and Ding Zhaozhong (Samuel C.C.Ting).