Dr. Mahood's teaching and research interests currently center around American government and politics, i.e. political parties, interest groups and state and local governments. He has published articles in Polity, Southwest Social Services Journal, and National Social Services Journal. He is the author and co-author of textbooks in American national government, state and local government, and political interest groups. He has presented papers at professional meetings of the Southwest Social Service, Midwest Political Science Association, and at National Social Science meetings.

Dr. Mahood is the author of the Prentice Hall textbook, Interests Groups in American National Politics as well as a chapter in People in Politics, 12th ed. by Gregory Press. He has been published in Social Science Quarterly, "St. Lawrence Seaway Bill of 1954: A Case Study of Pressure Groups in Conflict" and has two recent articles in National Social Science Journal: "Health Care Politics 1993-1994: Clinton Proposes But Republicans Dispose," and "The Nixon White House: Uncle Strom's Cabin".