Dr Paul Watson is currently Assistant Director of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research (Military connected Children and Young People) and Assistant Professor in Nursing (Children and Young People) & Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. 

On leaving the Armed Forces, Paul completed a BSc in Mental Health nursing, specialising in children’s mental health nursing in 2013. Paul then went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nurse) in 2014. Paul was appointed the school nurse for Catterick Military Garrison. On leaving clinical practice Paul went into higher education. Paul has a growing portfolio of research on the emotional health and wellbeing of Military connected children and young people, PTSD and social isolation and loneliness in the veteran population, military connected suicide, and is an expert in narrative methodologies. Moreover, Dr Watson completed his PhD in 2022, titled: The experiences of being a young carer of a veteran parent with PTSD: A narrative enquiry.  

As Principle Investigator, Paul has undertaken international research in Denmark looking at the mental well-being of Danish Military Children. This initital work with the Danish military charity SSOP,  generated a 4-year project, which is now underway to explore the impact of SSOP’s interventions on the well-being of military children.