Jacob builds and evaluates models to study the long-term drivers of innovation, human population growth, and why some groups govern shared resources more effectively than others in the face of stress. Studying both contemporary and past societies, his work contributes to understanding the general factors that increase the robustness of human societies faced with uncertainty generated by climate change, migration, and other global change processes. Currently, Jacob is an Associate Professor and the Program Director of Anthropology at Utah State University.