He served as the head of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University (designated in 1997), when he taught there as the Dean Lung Professor of Chinese Studies.
[2] In 2004, he rejoined Harvard University and was named Edward C. Henderson Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
In addition, Wang has been the editor of "Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan" series published by Columbia University Press which include works by writers such as Huang Chun-ming, Yang Mu, and Chu Tʽien-wen.
[3] Wang was elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica (2004) and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2020).
Aside from his scholarship, Wang has written numerous book reviews in Chinese since 1980s and is recognised as an active and accomplished literary critic in Taiwan.