Saipira Furstenberg is a research fellow at the University of Exeter Department of Politics. She is currently working on Central Asia Political Exile Database project with Dr John Heathershaw.

Saipira completed her doctoral degree in poltitical science at the University of Bremen in 2017. Her PhD examined the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and the interplay between global  and domestic politics under conditions of authoritarianism.Her PhD was funded by Marie Curie Initial Network under the 7th European  Framework Programme (Grant No: FP7-PEOPLE-2012ITN-316825).

She also holds an MA degree in International Security from the University of Warwick  and BA (Hons) in European Economy and Management from the University of Abertay, Dundee.