Currently, Dr. Jacobs'' research focuses on the development of optimized cardiac CT and coronary CT angiography studies. These clinically-based cardiac CT research projects are performed in conjuction with members of the cardiology department, and concern the evaluation of coronary artery occlusions, stenosis, and identification of calcified and soft intra-arterial plaque.

Other research interests concern evaluation and optimization of CT protocols for the detection and characterization of various types of abdominal pathology. These research projects have included: evaluation of the benefits of oral and intravenous contrast material for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, evaluation of the effects of beam hardening on the CT diagnosis of intrarenal masses, assessment of a bolus-tracking technique in helical renal CT to optimize nephrographic phase imaging, development of criteria for diagnosing fatty infiltration of the liver on enhanced helical CT studies, and evaluation of the relationship of contrast media reaction and extravasation to intravenous contrast injection rates.