[8] He first joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1969, before being elevated to the head of the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics which he served for five years from 1980 to 1984.

[8][9] Yang was named the dean of the Purdue University College of Engineering on July 1, 1984, a role he held for 10 years until his departure to UC Santa Barbara.

[8][9] Yang is an eight-time winner of the Elmer F. Bruhn Award, which honors outstanding teachers at the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

[8][9] After a seven-month search process by the University of California, Santa Barbara of over 150 applicants, Yang was named the school's fifth chancellor in March 1994.

[13][14][15][16][17] Yang currently serves on the President's Committee for the National Medal of Science, being appointed originally by George W. Bush in 2009 and again by Barack Obama in 2011.