Lian Zhao received her Ph.D. degree from University of Waterloo, Canada, in 2002. She joined the Department of ELCE at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Canada, in 2003 and has been a professor since 2014. Her research interests are in the areas of wireless communications, mobile edge computing and communications, and IoV networks.

She has been an IEEE VTS Distinguished Lecturer (DL) in 2022, and an IEEE ComSoc DL in 2020-2021; received the Best Land Transportation Paper Award from IEEE VTS in 2016, Top 15 Editor Award in 2016 for IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Best Paper Award from the 2013 International Conference on Wireless Communications and Signal Processing (WCSP), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) New Opportunity Research Award in 2005.

She has been serving as an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, and IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2013-2021). She served as a co-Chair of Wireless Communication Symposium for IEEE Globecom 2020 and IEEE ICC 2018; Finance co-Chair for 2021 ICASSP; Local Arrangement co-Chair for IEEE VTC Fall 2017 and IEEE Infocom 2014; co-Chair of Communication Theory Symposium for IEEE Globecom 2013; VT Chapter Chair of IEEE Toronto Section since 2018. She has severed as a panel expert in various federal, provincial, and international evaluation committees. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario and a senior member of the IEEE ComSoc and VTS.