Qian's fields of expertise included aerodynamics, rocket engineering, engineering cybernetics, systems science, and systems engineering. He was a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

A native of Shanghai, Qian graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934. One year later, he moved to the United States to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received his master's degree in 1936. After receiving his doctorate in 1938 at the California Institute of Technology, he joined its faculty and conducted rocket research. Qian took a leading role in the country's development of aerospace and defense technology after returning to China in 1955. He served successively in several posts including director of the CAS Institute of Mechanics; deputy director and then director of the Fifth Institute of the Ministry of National Defense; deputy director of the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense; and chairman and then honorary chairman of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology.

Qian had many groundbreaking achievements in transonic/supersonic aerodynamics and the stability of thin-walled shells, which have greatly contributed to the rapid progress of China's missile and space programs. In the early 1950s, he developed a new branch for cybernetics—engineering cybernetics, which laid a solid foundation for the development of the missile and spacecraft control theory. Qian also conducted pioneering research in many fields of mechanics and advanced a clear framework for modern science and technology—a milestone achievement for systems science. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of science and technology in China, Qian was awarded many honors, including the CAS Natural Science Award (first class) in 1956, the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology (special award) in 1986, the honorary title of China's Outstanding Scientist with Outstanding Achievements in 1991, and a merit medal in 1999 for his role in China's "Two Bombs and One Satellite" project. The CAS Purple Mountain Observatory named an asteroid after him. Throughout his life, he published many academic papers, including more than 50 in U.S. journals, and wrote several treatises, including  Engineering Cybernetics ,  A Textbook on Mechanics ,  An Introduction to Interstellar Travel , and  On Systems Engineering .