Taylor Carlson

Taylor Carlson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis and Director of Survey Research at the Weidenbaum Center. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego (2019) and a BA in Public Policy and Psychology from the College of William & Mary (2014). Her research focuses on political communication, political psychology, and American Politics, with an emphasis on interpersonal political communication, misinformation, and affective polarization. She has published in leading journals like the Journal of Politics, American Political Science Review, and Political Behavior, and authored/co-authored three books, including her latest (2024) on misinformation and partisan media effects.

Carlson co-led a National Science Foundation-funded project (2023) on political radicalization and deradicalization with Carly Wayne and Erin Rossiter, employing machine learning and innovative sampling strategies. She teaches courses in political psychology, American political behavior, and research methods at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and mentors student researchers. Her work bridges theory and practice, addressing critical challenges to democratic governance in the digital age.

Her research agenda integrates survey experiments, social media analysis, and physiological data to explore how information flows through social networks and shapes public opinion. Current projects investigate the role of emotional appeals in radicalization and strategies for fostering constructive political dialogue.