She studied Mathematics and Physics at the Lebanese University in Beirut and obtained a Doctorat d’Etat in Physics at Aix-Marseille University, France in 1973, studying the statistical thermodynamics of molten salts.
[1] After her doctorate, Saboungi joined Argonne National Laboratory and worked there as Senior Scientist until 2002.
Following this she was a director at the Centre de Recherche sur la Matière Divisée, CNRS until 2011.
[3] Saboungi's work focuses on complex soft materials, including ionic liquids and aqueous electrolytes, with a view to applications in energy and biotechnology.
She also studies silver chalcogenides, which display many fascinating phenomena including fast-ion conduction at higher temperatures, linear magnetoresistance over a broad range of magnetic fields, and topological insulator behavior.