Xizhen Lian was born and raised in Tianjin, China. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Nankai University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University. He then completed postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center under the mentorship of Daniel Siegwart. During this time, his research focused on the development of lipid nanoparticles for in vivo mRNA delivery and gene editing targeting the bone marrow, lung, and liver.

In May 2024, Lian joined Johns Hopkins University as an Assistant Research Scientist with joint appointments in the Whiting School of Engineering and the School of Medicine. His research interests lie in the design and engineering of non-viral delivery systems for in vivo gene therapies aimed at treating diseases in the blood, lungs, eyes, and central nervous system. His work has been supported by the Johns Hopkins Hemophilia Treatment Center and the Orphan Disease Center, with a focus on treating rare bleeding and thrombotic disorders as well as Ataxia Telangiectasia.