Jacob is a Ph.D. student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the University of Waterloo, specializing in Conflict and Security. His research looks at intensifying strategic competition in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific more broadly. Jacob assesses the Indo-Pacific strategies of various countries, ranging from Vietnam, France, to Canada. Academically, Jacob tends to frame his research through international security theory. Jacob also seeks to inform policymakers on how to navigate a rapidly changing and increasingly complex Indo-Pacific and its political institutions (to that effect, Jacob’s work has been cited by the United States Congressional Research Service).
Jacob contributes regularly to journalistic and scholarly outlets, writing on various issues of international relations. He has interned as a researcher for the Global Arena Research Institute based in the Czech Republic, worked as a research assistant for the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Waterloo, and is the recipient of an excellence award for his work as a teaching assistant. Jacob earned a M.A. in Political Science from University of Waterloo in 2021, and a (Honours) B.A. in Philosophy from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2019.
Jacob travels internationally as much as possible.