Jelena is an assistant professor (UD) at Utrecht University since 2017. Her interdisciplinary research is focused on social inequalities in the social domain. Her research focuses on vulnerable population groups, including migrants, women and people with lower income and on the social challenges that modern society pose like digitalisation, increased demand for healthcare and changes in education systems. Her projects include research on the costs for assisted reproductive health methods in both higher and low income countries, reforms of higher education in low and middle income countries and the system knowledge that non-Western migrants do have about healthcare system in the Netherlands. Research on the effectiveness of new diagnostic digital tools in healthcare is also one of her projects. In her projects she collaborates with researchers from all over the world.

She is also experienced teacher who participated in various courses in USBO and USE. She also acts a thesis supervisor for both bachelor and master students.