Jake Watson

Jake Watson is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. His research focuses on the governance of international migration, particularly refugee policies, and how racial inequalities and global power structures shape migrant classifications and experiences. He employs mixed methods, including interviews, archival research, and quantitative analysis of administrative data.

• Education: BA in Sociology (University of Warwick); MA in Migration Studies (Sussex University)

His work explores the production of categories like 'refugee' and their impacts on resettlement eligibility and post-arrival experiences in the U.S. He has conducted fieldwork across Africa, North America, and Europe. Key publications appear in Ethnic and Racial Studies, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, and European Journal of Sociology.

Awards include the Best Student Paper Award from the ASA’s Global and Transnational Sociology Section. He previously worked with the UNHCR in South Africa and a migrants' rights organization in London.