[2] He attended University of California, San Diego, from which he obtained a PhD degree in physics in 1986 under the supervision of Lu Jeu Sham.

[3] He was the condensed matter coordinator at Asia Pacific Center of Theoretical Physics (APCTP) during its establishment period.

His research interests include quantum Hall edge reconstruction, many-body physics and its interplay with disorder.

[4][5][6] In recent years, Yang's research focuses on topological order of disordered graphene zigzag nanoribbons.

[7][8][9][10] In 2023, Yang published a graduate textbook titled Topologically Ordered Zigzag Nanoribbon: e/2 Fractionally Charged Anyons and Spin-Charge Separation (World Scientific).