Dr. Yang is a professor, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of BGI-China. Dr. Yang is a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), a foreign associate of National Academy of India, Germany, the USA, and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, as well as the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Dr. Yang has received many awards and honors, including “Research Leader of the Year 2002” by Scientific American, “Award in Biology” by TWAS in 2006, and “Award for Outstanding Achievements” of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) in 2010.