VIRGINIA WATSON, Ph.D.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Area of Expertise - Science & Technology Policy

Dr. Virginia Watson joined the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in July 2004. Her areas of interest include the politics of science and technology, research and development policy in the Asia-Pacific region, and the linkage between security and scientific and technological issues.

Dr. Watson has held appointments at the University of Denver and Colorado School of Mines, and served as an exchange faculty for the University of Colorado in Beijing, China for two years. She has taught classes on technology issues in Asia, international and comparative politics, Asian and US politics, political philosophy and the military, and she has researched extensively on the history and development of Japanese science and technology. She co-authored a report, "Asian Views of a Possible US-PRC Competition for Influence in the Asia-Pacific Region" (2003) for the Strategic Assessment Center. She also served as a consultant for the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).

Dr. Watson's current research projects include political innovation in science and technology policy, comparative political management of science and technology-related risks such as the SARS epidemic, and an analysis of scientific and technological trends as these relate to Asia-Pacific security.

Dr. Watson is a native of the Philippines, where she obtained her Bachelor's degrees in Asian Studies and Management of Financial Institutions. She holds a Master's degree in Asian Studies from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in International Studies (areas of study: International Technology Assessment and Management (ITAM) and Public Policy from the University of Denver. She is fluent in Tagalog and Ilonggo and conversant in Japanese and Spanish.

Printer-friendly Version

Last updated: 06/23/2008