Professor John Wang is the inaugural E. W. Barker Chair Professor in the Physical Education and Sport Science (PESS) Academic Group. This endowed chair professorship is one of the most prestigious awards in physical education and sport in Singapore. It provides recognition to the research achievements of Professor John Wang in the fields of physical education and sports science. Professor John Wang graduated from Loughborough University (UK) with a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology, supported by an Overseas Graduate Scholarship from National Institute of Education (NIE) and an Overseas Research Students Award from Loughborough University. Professor John Wang is a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He is registered with the Health Professions Council of the UK as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist. Professor John Wang was the former Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning, Head of the Physical Education and Sports Science Academic Group, Programme Director of the Sport Science and Management Degree, and Associate Dean for Research Management and Programmes at the Office of Education Research. He was also a former President of the Singapore Physical Education Association from 2012 to 2016.

Professor John Wang has been involved in more than 50 research projects with a total grant amount of more than $6 million Singapore dollars. His research has resulted in many international and national collaborations, and a highly productive publication record with more than 200 refereed journal articles, books, and book chapters, in high-impact peer-reviewed journals in Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Educational Psychology, Health Psychology, Outdoor Education, and Physical Education. He has presented more than 100 conference paper presentations and made various keynote and invited speeches at international conferences. His works have been widely cited internationally and his research has also impacted policy changes and practices in education and physical education in Singapore. His research expertise is on sport ability beliefs, achievement goals, intrinsic motivation, emotion, and self-concept. Many of his published papers are on motivation and emotion in the contexts of physical activity, and sport and exercise. He has also published papers on education, outdoor education, project work, internet gaming and national education. As part of his work on motivation, Professor John Wang leads a group of staff from NIE at the Motivation in Educational Research Lab (MERL).

Currently, Professor John Wang is the Editor-in-Chief for the newly established, “Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology”. This is the official journal of the Asian South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology, supported by Tianjin University of Sport. He also serves as a member on 14 editorial boards, including “International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology” (immediate past Section Editor), and “International Journal of Asian Society for PE, Sport, & Dance” (Associate Editor). Professor John Wang has received numerous awards for his research and was previously appointed as an adjunct Associate Professor of The University of Queensland, Australia, and a Visiting Fellow of Loughborough University, UK, in recognition of his research excellence. He was also a Visiting Professor of Tianjin University of Sport.