In 1995, Jacobson and John E. Kobza authored the first paper demonstrating how operations research models could be used to optimize the performance of aviation security systems. They co-led the first study analyzing the costs and benefits of 100% checked baggage screening. Jacobson also designed and analyzed a class of multi-level passenger prescreening models to optimize the performance of aviation passenger and baggage security operations using a risk-based paradigm. This research, funded by the National Science Foundation, served as a precursor for risk-based aviation security policies (including the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program) that are now used at commercial airports throughout the United States. This research was recognized with the 2018 INFORMS Impact Prize for its contributions to risk-based security in aviation security and its influence on TSA PreCheck. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak in the United States, Jacobson argued that risk-based security screening concepts could also be applied to the health threat. After the 2016 Atatürk Airport attack in Istanbul, Turkey, Jacobson contended that decreasing pressure on checkpoints inside airports is essential, advocating for more enrollment in expedited screening such as TSA PreCheck. In late 2016, he published a study showing that waiving the $85 TSA PreCheck fee would result in a net savings of $34 million due to reduced screening costs.