Todd is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University at Buffalo. He is a faculty affiliate of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), as well as a nonresident research fellow at IZA and the Global Labor Organization (GLO).

His research examines factors contributing to disparities in education outcomes and evaluates approaches to improve them. He uses economic theory, randomized evaluations, and quasi-experimental methods to study how individual decisions and institutional policies affect education outcomes. His current work focuses on education policy in low- and middle-income countries, including Rwanda, Malawi, and India, as well as student success in higher education in the United States.