Kolbe A. Dumas

I am a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Houston, specializing in Public Policy and Quantitative Methodology. My research examines how governments adopt, implement, and govern emerging technologies, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence in U.S. state and local institutions.

My work sits at the intersection of public policy, political methodology, and administrative governance. I study how political signals, institutional incentives, and bureaucratic capacity shape the adoption of AI systems and related technologies across government. Substantively, my research focuses on AI procurement, policy diffusion, executive agenda setting, and institutional responses to technological shocks.

Methodologically, I employ causal inference, computational social science, and quantitative policy analysis, drawing on approaches including event-history modeling, quasi-experimental designs, text analysis, and machine learning to evaluate public-sector technological change under uncertainty.

Prior to doctoral study, I earned a Master of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Quantitative Sciences from Arizona State University.