After the Syrian revolution of 2011, Elias moved from working in Pharmacy to the humanitarian and social development fields, assisting in co-founding the Jesuit Refugee Service project in Aleppo in 2012 as Assistant Project Director and then as Assistant Country Director. In 2014, Elias had his Master’s Degree in Conflict Security and Development from the University of Sussex. He wrote his dissertation on civil society and peacebuilding in Syria, examining how grassroots organizations can contribute to the peacebuilding process. In 2015, Elias co-founded House of Peace (HOPe), a community-based peace-building organization in Lebanon, and currently working as Peacebuilding & Conflict Sensitivity Specialist. Elias has a Certificate of Community Service in Counseling from Boston College, and International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance from Fordham University.