Fariz Akif oglu Ismailzade was born on September 2, 1978, in Lankaran. He received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the Faculty of International Relations at Western University from 1996 to 2000. He obtained his master's degree in social and economic development from the University of Washington in the USA from 2000 to 2002, graduating with distinction from both institutions. From 2013 to 2015, he studied at the International Business School in Madrid, Spain, where he earned an Executive MBA. He later pursued a doctorate at Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, receiving his PhD in 2021.

Fariz Ismailzade worked as a coordinator and manager on various short-term projects at the International Organization for Migration from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, he was appointed as the Vice-Rector of ADA University, where he oversaw international relations, exchange programs with 120 foreign universities, professional development programs, research and sponsorship projects, and partnerships with corporate and governmental entities. He has led the EU Knowledge Center, the Caspian Energy and Environment Center, and the Institute for Development and Diplomacy.

According to the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated April 18, 2016, Fariz Ismailzade was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Examination Center. He is a member of the working group for the Azerbaijan National Education Strategy (2012) and the working group for Science, Education, and Culture within the Coordination Headquarters for addressing issues in the territories liberated from occupation.

In September 2024, Fariz Ismailzade was elected as a deputy of the VII convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He serves as the Deputy Chair of the Committee on Science and Education. Fariz Ismailzade is the editor of the "Baku Dialogies" scientific journal at ADA University. He has edited three books: "Liberated Karabakh" (ADA University, 2021), "South Caucasus: Oil and Geopolitics" (Jamestown Foundation Publishing, 2013), and "Global Politics of Azerbaijan: Formulation of Foreign Policy" (ADA University, 2009). He is also the author of the monograph "Russia's Energy Interests in Azerbaijan" (2005).

He has authored over 300 articles on energy security and regional politics in various publications in the USA and Europe, including the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Jamestown Foundation, Eurasiaet.org, Rubrik Turkish Politics, and the Strategic Research Center (SAM). He has presented papers at conferences hosted by Wilton Park, Chatham House, NATO Research and Training, UCLA, Columbia University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the Vienna Diplomatic Academy, MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations), and Nazarbayev University.