His research focuses on contemporary Islam and Sufism in North America. Dickson’s first book Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation (SUNY 2015) explores the ways in which Sufi leaders in North America relate to Islamic orthodoxy, authority, and gender. Dickson has published articles on contemporary Muslim thought and has presented his research at a number of national and international conferences, including most recently a conference on contemporary Sufism at the Cini Foundation in Venice. Most recently, Dickson published Contemporary Sufism: Piety, Politics, and Popular Culture (Routledge 2018) with Meena Sharify-Funk and Merin Shobhana Xavier.