[1] After earning her doctorate, Lubin worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as Soviet analyst and Project Director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment before joining the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in the departments of Engineering and Public Policy, and of Social and Applied History.
[2] The collapse of the USSR in 1991 led Lubin to found JNA Associates Inc., a research and consulting firm that focuses on Central Asia and the Caucasus region.
Her cross-sectoral work, largely focused on corruption and navigating these informal economic and political systems, includes designing, negotiating, implementing and evaluating projects and joint ventures on the ground; conducting political risk assessments, survey research and other analyses; consulting on television and film productions; and advising corporations, donors, and legal counsel in the US, Europe and Japan.
Her research includes her work as a fellow at the US Institute of Peace, Woodrow Wilson Center, and elsewhere; Director/ Principal Author of a Council on Foreign Relations project chaired by Senator Sam Nunn;[3] consultant for ABC News & PBS documentaries; and author of books, articles and op-eds for publications as varied as the New York Times, GEO magazine, Reader's Digest, Newsday, and elsewhere.
[4][5] She has also provided her expertise on Russian and Central Asian affairs on camera and as a consultant for NPR, CNN, ABC News, and other media outlets.