Beth Elise Whitaker, Ph.D.

Contact me about:

• College research opportunities
• Interdisciplinary networking
• Graduate education

Beth Elise Whitaker is a professor of political science and associate dean for research and interdisciplinary collaboration in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on migration and security in sub-Saharan Africa, examining how political dynamics shape attitudes and policies toward displaced populations. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Kenya examining U.S.–African security relations, and has also conducted field research in Tanzania and Botswana. Whitaker has published widely in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Politics, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of Refugee Studies, International Migration Review, Journal of Peace Research, and African Affairs, and is co-author with John F. Clark of Africa’s International Relations: Balancing Domestic and Global Interests (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2018). In addition to her scholarship, Whitaker has held leadership roles in professional associations and worked with policy organizations and government agencies. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information, see Dr. Whitaker’s website.