Syeda ShahBano Ijaz is a PhD student in Political Science at UC San Diego. She is interested in understanding how political contracts are adapted in conflict affected states to reflect the greater role of foreign aid and development programs in public budgets. She also studies innovation in financial technologies and how aid disbursement through formal financial instruments may deepen financial inclusion. Her past work has inquired into the effects of U.S. military aid on political violence in Pakistan.

She has an M.A. in Political Science from New York University, an M.Sc. in Development Economics from the University of Oxford and a BSc (Honors) in Economics from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.