Wang was raised in Chiayi,[1] and earned a bachelor's and master's degree from National Taiwan University in 1967 and 1970, respectively.

He was a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 1974 and 1988, when he returned to UIUC as a faculty member.

[2] Wang is noted for his research into PTPN3-protein kinase 12 complex and has identified ICP11 as a DNA mimic protein.

Wang's election as a member of Academia Sinica took place in 2000,[5] and he became a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences in 2005.

[9] In October 2018, Wang was appointed inaugural director of the National Biotechnology Research Park, a position he took in an acting capacity.