While growing up he observed diseases of insect pests, and roamed through the surrounding countryside with small wild animals, giving him early exposure to organisms which would later become his professional interest.
[2] Jackson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in botany and plant pathology in 1964 from Oklahoma State University,[2][1] then a Master of Science in plant pathology[2] in 1967 from the same institution.
[1] In 1970,[1] Jackson earned a PhD in plant pathology and microbiology from the University of Manitoba[2][1] under Drs.
[2][1] Immediately in 1970, he took a postdoctoral position in plant virology at University of Arizona.
[2] After visiting China in 1998 — Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai — in 2004 Jackson began taking sabbaticals every year for three or four months to China Agricultural University and Zhejiang University as a researcher and lecturer.