Jacob graduated with a BA from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut as a double major in neuroscience as well as biology. Jacob then received his MA from Wesleyan by continuing his undergraduate research on cell death in a mouse model of epilepsy.

After deciding to move to the West Coast, Jacob drove across the country and began work in the Memory and Aging Center with Dr. Adam Boxer. As Dr. Boxer's research associate, Jacob coordinates and conducts a study on eye movements and their ability to shed light on the normal aging process. The goal of the research is to develop quick, easy and effective tasks for identifying the early stages of cognitive decline.