Jake did his undergraduate and PhD at McGill University in Montreal, where his research focused on using stable isotopes to quantify and compare boreal lake food webs. He held a Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of California-Davis. His basic research has focused on developing a more holistic understanding of lake food webs that includes benthic pathways and linkages among habitats and ecosystems. On the applied side, his research includes efforts to understand and predict the spread and impact of aquatic invasive species in inland waters. While his current research focuses on Wisconsin lakes, he has worked on aquatic ecosystems around the world. Jake has trained >35 graduate students and postdocs, authored >130 peer-review publications, and has won numerous awards.