Raby was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Palisades Park, New Jersey, he completed his undergraduate education at the University of Rochester in 1969.
He continued at Tel Aviv University for his doctoral studies, receiving his Ph.D. in 1976 under the guidance of Professor Lawrence Paul Horwitz.
He then joined Stanford University as an acting assistant professor from 1978 to 1980, teaching advanced graduate courses in electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, and general relativity.
[2] Over the next eight years, he rose to the position of group leader of T-8 in the Theory Division, overseeing research in theoretical particle physics.
In 1989, Raby joined The Ohio State University as a full professor of physics, a role he continues to hold.