[2] He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from National Taiwan University in 1959, and completed a doctorate in geophysics and applied mathematics at Caltech in 1966.
[3][2] He remained at Caltech as a research fellow through 1967, and, later that year, joined the University of Southern California faculty as an assistant professor.
[3][2] During his career at USC, Teng was also affiliated with the Southern California Earthquake Center.
[5] From 2005, Teng has held a distinguished chair professorship for research at National Taiwan University.
[6][3] In Taiwan, Teng has served as on the advisory committee for the Academia Sinica's Institute of Earth Sciences.