Staats attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and studied Physiologic psychology (neuroscience) and biological sciences.
He completed an MBA in Healthcare services at Johns Hopkins University Carey school of business in 2004.
He wrote Psychological Behaviorism theory of Pain with his father Arthur and Hamid Hekmat PhD.
Early research was on mechanisms of placebo effects and intrathecal therapy for cancer related pain.
[19] Other research was on high dose topical capsaicin, creating the foundational patents for Qutenza patch.