Scott joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh as an Associate Professor in 2005. His research focuses on political parties, electoral systems, and legislatures, with a regional specialization in Latin America. Among his publications are Patterns of Legislative Politics: Roll Call Voting in the United States and Latin America's Southern Cone (Cambridge University Press, 2004), Legislative Politics in Latin America, (coeditor and contributor; Cambridge University Press, 2002), and Pathways to Power (coeditor and contributor, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008). His articles have appeared in the Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies; Comparative Politics, Party Politics, Electoral Studies, Review of International Political Economy, Journal of Politics in Latin America , and other journals. He was also the primary investigator on a grant from the USAID to produce documents related to their political party development programs.