Dr. Gavin Watts is an Associate Professor in Special Education at Texas A&M University – San Antonio (A&M-SA). He has been a member of the faculty at A&M-SA since 2018 and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Classroom Behavior Management, Emotional-Behavioral Disorders, and Advanced Behavior Analysis/Interventions, among others. Dr. Watts received his B.S. in Special Education from Illinois State University, his M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and obtained his Ph.D. in Emotional-Behavioral Disorders (EBD) & Early Childhood Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to entering higher education, he was a special education teacher in classrooms ranging from early childhood through middle school, in public schools around Chicago.

Dr. Wattss current areas of research include training and supervising students with EBD as cross-age tutors for promoting skills in academics, behavior, and social-emotional domains. He is interested in exploring and developing no/low-cost behavioral interventions for students with disabilities and evidence-based practices for supporting students with disabilities, as well as first-generation college students, in higher education settings. He is the recent recipient of the Provosts Award for A&M-SAs Rising Scholar (2024-2025). Dr. Watts also serves on multiple peer-review boards for high-impact journals in the field of education and is also the former editor of the Texas Education Review.

Dr. Watts is also a co-principle investigator on a $2.1 million grant from the Department of Education to develop a post-secondary education program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Transition University for Career Advancement and Successful Adulthood (TU CASA) program opened its doors at A&M-SA and welcomed its first cohort of students with intellectual disabilities in support of their pursuit of higher education and competitive employment.