Watson earned his B.A. in religious studies from the College of William and Mary in 1995, his M.A. in international peace studies and conflict resolution from the University of Notre Dame in 2001, and his M.A. and doctorate in political science from the University of New Mexico in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Research interests include the politics of race and ethnicity, domestic and global health inequalities, national health care systems, and public health policy. His dissertation explored how the historical legacies of racism, specifically anti-miscegenation laws once common across the U.S., may indirectly impact modern-day racial disparities in infant mortality rates.