Dr. Kang received his Ph.D. degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977. He also earned, in 1977, an M.A. (Botany) degree from Southern Illinois University (SIU)-Carbondale. He received his M.S. (Plant Genetics) degree from SIU-Edwardsville in 1971. He earned a B.Sc. (Agri. & Animal Husbandry) degree with honors from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana (India) in 1968.
Dr. Kang is currently the Honorary Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University, Manhattan. He served as Vice Chancellor (CEO) of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) at Ludhiana (April 2007 to April 2011). He previously served for 21 years as Professor of Quantitative Genetics in the School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge (USA). Prior to that, he was a Sugarcane Geneticist (Assistant Professor) with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida (1981-1986). He acquired industrial experience in hybrid maize breeding when he served as Research Station Manager and Senior Plant Breeder at Cargill, Inc., St. Peter, Minnesota (1977-1979).
Dr. Kang specializes in quantitative genetics as applied to crop improvement. He has received several prestigious honors and awards from various organizations. He is a Fellow of both American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America. He is also an honorary Fellow of: Indian Society of Life Sciences, Crop Improvement Society of India, and Punjab Academy of Sciences. He served as Technical Editor of Crop Science and Editor-in-Chief of Communications in Biometry and Crop Science. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Crop Improvement and Technical Editor of Crop Science.
Dr. Kang was recognized by his Alma Mater (PAU) for his significant contributions to plant breeding and genetics at the 36th Foundation Day in 1997. In 1999, he was selected as a Fulbright Senior Scholar (teaching award) to Malaysia. He received from the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin ‘Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award for 2007’. He has served as a ‘Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society) Distinguished Lecturer’ from July 2007 to June 2009. In February 2010, Amity University, Noida, bestowed on him ‘Amity Academic Excellence Award’. In 2011, he received from Guru Nanak Dev University-Amritsar the ‘Bishan Singh Samundri Lectureship Award’, sponsored by S. Jaswant Singh Rai Memorial Trust. Dr. Kang has served as Chair of the National Selection Committee for Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Scholar awards given by the US-India Educational Foundation (2010 and 2011). In 2013, he was recognized at the Third Jain-Advisor Agro-Dairy Fair in Paragpur (Punjab, India) with ‘Excellence Award in Agriculture Development’. In May 2018, the Chief Minister of Punjab (India) conferred on him the “Pride of Punjab” award. In November 2019, Punjab Government bestowed on him ‘Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Achievers Award’ during the celebration of 550th Birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Dr. Kang has edited or co-edited and authored or co-authored 16 books.