Dr. Carlson is an associate professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma and the associate director for education at the National Institute of Risk and Resilience. His research agenda explores the operations of public policies and analyzes their effects on political, social, and economic outcomes of interest. He is currently working on several projects, including: estimating the effects of school closures on academic outcomes; estimating non-market values associated with dam operations in the Colorado River System; and analyzing the relationship between educational outcomes, including post-secondary enrollment and attainment, and public program participation.