Dr Lian is a Senior Lecturer of German and serves as Assistant Director at the Centre for Language Studies (CLS). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from NUS, a Master of Arts from Heidelberg University and a Doctor of Education from the University of Western Australia. Her research interests lie in the field of language education, particularly in technology-enhanced teaching and learning, intercultural competence and the professional development of “non-native speaker” teachers. Dr Lian also contributes as an associate editor-in-chief to the CLS' peer-reviewed journal, e-FLT, which publishes research on second and foreign language teaching and learning.

In addition to her roles at CLS, Dr Lian is a resident fellow at Prince George’s Park Residence, where she actively contributes to residential life and develops student leaders.

Prior to joining CLS in July 2018, she taught German at Nanyang Polytechnic and was Deputy Manager at the Foreign Language Centre.