Her research focuses on corruption in education, how ultra-conservative groups use education to change social norms, and the financial inclusion of women. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess came to the U.S. to attend Brown University as an undergraduate student after the war in Bosnia, where she lived under siege for four years. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess is also on the board of the Center for Development and Social Research and the board director of both the International Center for Transitional Justice, an organization that focuses on human rights abuses in conflict or crisis regions, and the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, which supports Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center by providing advanced medical care to the community it serves.