Hello! My name is Jacob Thompson; I currently serve as a Visiting Lecturer of Macroeconomics at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, looking for opportunities for the 2026-2027 Academic Year! By training I am a behavioral macroeconomist with a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oregon and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Philosophy from Kent State University. My research centers on macroeconomic modeling, with a focus on Bayesian DSGE models and the role of belief formation in shaping economic dynamics. In my job market paper, I investigate how jointly estimating agents’ initial beliefs and model parameters in a boundedly rational DSGE framework improves model fit and forecasting performance.
In my current role as Visiting Lecturer at Northeastern University, my primary teaching responsibilities include teaching macroeconomics, including Principles of Macroeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, and master’s level Macroeconomic Theory. I am also engaged in departmental service, wherein I serve on an ad hoc faculty committee of economists dedicated to formulating policies and recommendation for the use of generative AI in the classroom. I have also completed a teaching-focused appointment at Illinois State University, where I taught introductory macro- and microeconomics while leveraging data platforms and digital tools to enhance student learning.