Dr. Beth Elise Whitaker is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who works on migration and security issues in Africa. ​

​She has done extensive research on the politics of African migration, including attitudes toward immigration, comparative refugee policy, and diaspora engagement in homeland politics. She has conducted fieldwork in Kenya (2005-2006, 2015, 2016), Tanzania (1996-1998, 2003), and Botswana (2005).