Cho's research fields range from Korean and Chinese literature and culture; East Asian comparative literature; women and gender studies; performance literature; and oral storytelling and folk literature.

William Hedberg's primary research focus is the literature and culture of early modern Japan, and his current project centers on the reception of late imperial Chinese fiction during the Edo and Meiji periods (17th-20th c.).

Williams studies and translates classical Chinese poetry, and also works in related areas such as medieval Buddhism, Sino-Japanese literature, and translation studies.