Nabih's research empirically investigates the influence of major foundations in the college completion agenda, drawing on descriptive and inferential statistics, social network analysis, and semi-structured interviews to examine foundation-led strategies. Specifically, his work has examined the influence of philanthropic foundations on non-profit organizations, the role of funders in academic labor markets, and the relationship between intermediary entities and educational systems. More recently, he worked on a study examining how scholarly organizations sponsored by philanthropists have shaped doctoral student experiences, with a focus on the career outcomes of humanists.