Zhilian joined the BMC series in the Shanghai office in January 2024 as an Associate Editor for BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology and BMC Women's Health. She currently serves as the Lead Editor for BMC Women's Health. Prior to joining BMC, she was a researcher at the University of Oxford, where she studied cardiac regeneration across different fish species, including zebrafish.

She holds an MSc in Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction from Shanxi Agricultural University and a PhD in Biology from the University of Freiburg. Her doctoral projects focus mainly on biological and molecular events of neuronal development and disorders, particularly in the central nervous system.

With expertise spanning breeding and reproduction, neurobiology, hematology, and cardiology, Zhilian has contributed to the scientific literature through book chapters, patents, and peer-reviewed articles. She has also supported the academic community by serving as a reviewer for scientific journals.