An education policy researcher and consultant since 1996. PhD in Public Policy from ANU in 1998. Professor Watson is a Director of the Education Institute (formerly the Lifelong Learning Network), at the University of Canberra. She has published many education reports for state and federal governments. She has been invited to appear as an expert witness before three national parliamentary inquiries on schooling in Australia. She was a member of the expert panel to review base funding in higher education, chaired by Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, which reported in October 2011.