He originally joined the International Development Department in 2001 as a PhD student and became a member of staff in 2005. His PhD, which he completed in 2005, examined state reconstruction and ethnic politics in central Uganda. His current research combines both qualitative and quantitative methods in examining the causes and consequences of ethnic diversity and urbanization alongside other related issues in political demography and African politics. He is on the editorial boards of bothNations and Nationalismand theJournal of Modern African Studies, where he is Book Reviews Editor. Before joining ID Elliott completed degrees at Princeton University (BA) and the European Institute at the LSE (MSc).