Jesse grew up in suburban Minnesota, where he developed a love for the outdoors and a curiosity about how biology works. After obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout and graduating high school, Jesse began his undergraduate studies as a Mathematics major. Exploration of courses from Accounting to Zoology helped Jesse realize that Chemistry and Biology were a natural fit. After conducting undergraduate research in plant metabolomics, he decided to pursue PhD studies at the University of California, San Diego. After 3 years as a postdoc at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Marin County, California, Jesse moved back to the Midwest to do a second 2-year postdoc at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In August 2020, Jesse moved to Milwaukee to begin an Assistant Professor position in the Biochemistry Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin.