Michael Jacobs Jr., PhD

Michael Jacobs, Jr., a lifelong Manhattanite and a first generation American, was born in New York City in 1967, and grew up on the Upper Westside. His mother Rachel Jacobs, originally from Argentina, came to the US to complete her higher education. She earned a Master’s degree from Columbia Teachers College and served within the Manhattan public school system as a math teacher and Assistant Principal. His father, Michael Jacobs, Sr., born in Serbia, survived a Nazi labor camp during World War II. After the war, he migrated from Europe to Canada before settling in the United States. He was a highly accomplished lawyer and a member of both the Florida and New York Bar.

Michael Jacobs, Jr., while following in his family’s footsteps of academic and professional excellence, also valued team sports participation and individual fitness activities. During his formative years at Stuyvesant High School in the late 1980’s, he was a standout athlete on the varsity football and wrestling teams, balancing elite academics and competitive sports. He also made the varsity football team as a freshman at SUNY Stony Brook. Michael often noted that his sports activities demanded the same discipline and strategic thinking he applied later in his academic and professional career. Post his football days, Michael ran at least 5 days a week, followed by a demanding gym workout. In fact, he ran, as usual and no matter the weather, early in the dark NYC morning, on the day that he died.

After Stuyvesant, Michael completed a rigorous academic foundation at SUNY Stony Brook focusing on technical and quantitative disciplines. In 1992, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Engineering Science and in 1994, an M.A. in Mathematical Economics and Statistics. He then received in 2001 a Ph.D. in Finance from CUNY Baruch College. His doctoral research specialized in quantitative modeling and risk management. He later added the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) to his impressive credentials. The depth of his academic knowledge continued to underlay his subsequent, extensive career across major financial institutions, consulting firms, and federal regulatory agencies. At the time of his passing, he was serving as a Senior Vice President and Lead Qualitative Analytics & Modeling Expert at PNC Financial Services Group. In addition, Dr. Jacobs was also a prolific researcher and contributor to over sixty papers in the field of quantitative finance. He was a well-known and respected related subject matter expert and a highly demanded speaker at national and international professional conferences.

In his personal life, he is survived by his long-time partner of almost thirty years, Sheri G Spencer, a retired HR Technology Executive also in the Financial Services Industry as well as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Corporate Management Coach. In lieu of flowers, donations to a CUNY scholarship fund (not yet finalized) would be appreciated. Scholarship details soon to follow.

A funeral service will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, located at 180 West 76th Street, New York, NY, 10023, United States. The service is scheduled for February 17, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be available via Zoom following the link below.