Dr. Watson completed her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics at the University of Minnesota where she utilized the Sleeping Beauty transposon system to conduct forward genetic screens in mice to uncover novel cancer genes and generated several mouse models of cancer, elucidating novel genetic pathways, and candidates for targeted cancer therapy. After completing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Minnesota, she joined Recombinetics in 2013, where she has led the development of swine models for preclinical drug and device studies and regenerative therapeutics. Her research focuses on applying gene-editing technology to develop swine models of human diseases, with a focus on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as applying this technology for regenerative medicine applications.