Abstract: Taking 1192 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as a case study, temporal and spatial pattern and evolution mechanism of the development of senior science talents are identified and analyzed by using regional Gini coefficient, centralization index and ESDA method. The results show that: (1) At the provincial level, the locations where the academicians of CAS were native or born, acquired his or her highest education (degree), and had long-term work experiences, showed a strong imbalance among the eastern, central and western China. (2) Most of the locations of the three categories have shown significant and positive geospatial autocorrelation since the 1950s. In terms of agglomerative growth, during the four time periods from 1950 to 2010, including 1950s, 1980s, 1990s and the first beginning of the 21st century, the locations of native and birth places presented a spatial trend of gradual increase followed by gradual decrease, while the locations of both highest education (degree) and long-term work experience presented a spatial trend of gradual decrease. (3) HH concentrated locations of the three categories are mainly distributed in the eastern and coastal regions and their neighboring provinces, and the number of three types of locations presented the trends of increase followed by decrease, little change, and gradual increase, respectively. (4) Most provinces among the type IV locations of the three categories with transitions in the evolution of temporal and spatial patterns are the ones that maintain the same level within themselves and with the neighboring provinces during the four periods from 1950 to 2010, and nearly half of provinces presented continuous stability. Type I, II and Ⅲ provinces varied in numbers and some of the provinces had significant transitional phenomenon. (5) Differences and changes of natural resources, economic conditions, political and cultural environment, and educational atmosphere all more or less have influences on the overall spatial distribution and the evolution of temporal and spatial pattern of academicians of CAS.

Key words: academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), agglomeration of talents, temporal and spatial pattern