Jelena holds a PhD in International Studies from the University of Cambridge, and has taught and researched at the University of Edinburgh, University College London, the University of Graz, and Passau University.

She is the author of The Global Market for Investor Citizenship (Palgrave, 2019), a leading study in the field of wealth-based citizenship acquisition.

Her research interests include citizenship acquisition and loss, wealth-based migration and new mobilities, Europeanisation and state-building.