Scott Whiteford is currently the Director of the Mexican Initiative for the College of SBS and Emeritus Professor, Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. He served as the Director of Latin American Studies and Professor of Anthropology at Michigan State University and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. His research interests include: political ecology of water, violence, power, human rights, international migration, national borders and water management, and research methods. He has carried out research on water rights and insecurity in 8 Latin American countries and the Unites States. While at Michigan State University he was awarded prestigious teaching and research awards. He has won collaborative grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for Humanities, The U.S. Department of Education, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, CEPAL, and the Fulbright Commission. In collaboration with colleagues, he has written and edited 14 books, published in Spanish and English, based on long-term research.