Drawing on years of fieldwork and knowledge of several regional languages, his research and teaching explore migration and diaspora within and beyond the imperial borders of Russia and the Soviet Union. Professor Scott has been awarded grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Philosophical Society, Fulbright-Hays, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Russian and Soviet history, the Cold War, comparative empires, and global migration. He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.