Previously, Jake:

• was a Life Sciences Fellow at the University of Michigan (2019–2023).
• earned his PhD at Cornell University (2013–2019), working within Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology. As a graduate student, he investigated several dimensions of biodiversity, applying the tools of Systematic Biology, Population Genomics, and Paleontology. Key Paper 1Publisher’s AwardKey Paper 22019 Defense Seminar
• worked as a researcher in the Prum Lab (2010–2013), where he focused on discovering evolutionary relationships within and among bird species.
• completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Yale University (2006–2010). His senior thesis investigated patterns of phylogeographic congruence among co-distributed open-habitat specialists across the Amazon basin.

Jake is currently affiliated with five groups within the University of Michigan:

1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
2. Earth and Environmental Sciences
3. Museum of Zoology
4. Institute for Data Science
5. School for Environment and Sustainability