Jacob Hazen

jacobhazen [at] live [d.o.t.] ca

Jacob Hazen is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Economics at McGill University. He holds an MA in Economics and Data Science from Carleton University, and a BA in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Calgary. Prior to his doctoral studies, Jacob worked in both the private and public sectors, focusing on Natural Language Processing (NLP) projects. His research explores the intersections of Economics, Data Science, and Computer Science, with a particular emphasis on the applications of NLP in economic contexts.

His research interests span applied microeconomics, labor economics, applied econometrics, child development, and education.

Outside of his studies, Jacob enjoys spending most of his time outdoors. In the winter, he is a frequent hockey player, and during the warmer months, he enjoys skateboarding. He was also a competitive skateboarder before beginning his studies. Below, you can view a gallery of past photos of him.

You can find my CV here



Experience

Research

Research Assistant

● Dr. Fabian Lange (McGill - 2023)
● Dr. James MacKinnon; Dr. Matthew Webb; Dr. Morten Nielsen (Carleton & Queens - 2022) Link to paper
● Apex Research Group (Carleton - 2022)
● Dr. Alexander Whalley (University of Calgary - 2020)

Teaching Assistant

McGill & Carleton University

● Intro Microeconomics (McGill)
● Graduate Level Macroeconomics (Carleton)
● Graduate Level Data Science (Carleton)
● Applied Data Analysis (Carleton)
● Applied Data Analysis (Carleton)
● Econometrics(Carleton)
● Intro Microeconomics (Carleton)

Data Scientist

Infrastructure Canada

● Created interactive Power BI dashboards for the $180-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan
● Natural Language Processing research to analyze conversations in parliament and how it might impact specific socioeconomic variable
● I developed multiple dynamic web scrapers to extract information that was manually collected for parliament

May. 2021 – Aug 2022

Data Scientist - Internship

Critical Mass

● Developed Python and Machine Learning Models to predict and understand company & employee logistics, specifically making use of the Random Forest Model
● I identified key areas where the Critical Mass could perform better, allowing for increased performance and satisfaction among employees
● Worked with relational database management systems using queries and schemas (MySQL, SQL). To fetch and update sensitive data

Jan 2020 – Apr 2020

Education, CGPA 3.9/4

McGill University

Ph.D in Economics
● Organizations: President; Ph.D Rep. Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Économie Quantitative (CIREQ)
● Awards: Graduate Excellence Award in Economics
Aug. 2022 - Present

Carleton University

M.A. Economics & Data Science
● Thesis: Unsupervised Textual Mining Techniques for Forecasting Crude Oil
● Organizations: Co-President; Elected Departmental Steward;
● Awards: Randall Geehan Memorial Scholarship in Quantitative Economics; Departmental Merit Scholarship
Sept. 2020 - May 2022

University of Calgary

B.A. in Economics & Computer Science
● Organizations: Director for Canadian Organization for Undergraduate Health Research , 2019-2020;
● Activities: Varsity Athlete, 2017;
Sept. 2016 - May 2020

Papers

(Working Paper) Comparing Maternal Mental Health in Developing Countries.

Hazen Jacob, Saltiel Fernando

(Jul. 2024) Did the Pandemic and Current Labour Shortages Change the Quality of Jobs?

Ablay Mahmut, Bissonnette Luc, Hazen Jacob, Lange Fabian

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
     ● Python, Expert;
     ● Git, Expert;
     ● Docker, Expert;
     ● R, Proficient;
     ● SQL, Proficient
     ● Linux/Unix, Proficient;
     ● Power BI, Intermediate;
     ● Power Query, Intermediate;
     ● Java, Intermediate;
     ● STATA, Beginner;

Awards & Certifications

  • Graduate Excellence Award in Economics (McGill)
  • Randall Geehan Memorial Scholarship in Quantitative Economics
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship
  • Government of Canada - Instant Award
  • Data Science - IBM Certification
  • Departmental Merit Scholarship , 2020 & 2021 - Carleton University
  • Jason Lang Scholarship
  • Alexander Rutherford Scholarship
  • Dean’s list, 2020 - University Calgary
  • 1 st Analytics Winner - Canada’s Big Data Challenge (Mentor Position)

Teachings

Honour's Micro Theory

ECON 250D2

Fall 2021

Graduate Macroeconomics (Carleton)

ECON 5021

Fall 2021

Graduate Special Topics in Data Science (Carleton)

ECON 5880

Fall 2021

Introductory Microeconomics (Carleton)

ECON 1001

Winter 2021

Outside of Academia

Skateboard Pics

Here are some pictures from my skateboarding days. I was a competitive skateboarder before my academic career.

Travel Pics

I love traveling abroad for extended periods. I've spent one month in Italy, France, and the UK; Trinidad and Tobago; Thailand; Japan and Vietnam; and Mexico City. I also spent two weeks in Portugal.

Other Pics

I love hockey. I used to play and even lived in Salt Lake City for a year to pursue it. I could talk about hockey for hours and never get bored. Despite having played at a high level, I’m part of a fantasy hockey league that’s been running for six years, and amusingly, none of the other members know how to skate — yet, I somehow finish last every year.

Blog

Stayed tuned? When I have more time...