Wang obtained a B.S. degree in chemistry from Wuhan University in 1982, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990. He completed his postdoctoral stay at Rice University before moving to Richland, WA in 1993 to accept a joint position between Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In 2009 he moved to Brown University, where he teaches physical chemistry and conducts research. He was named the Jesse H. and Louisa D. Sharpe Metcalf Professor of Chemistry in 2015 and Chair of the Department in 2019.