Professor Jenkens received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his Masters and Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University.

Professor Jenkens's research interests lie in the art of the Italian Renaissance with an emphasis on fifteenth-century architecture in Siena. He has published a number of articles in this area, most recently in the Bulletino Senese di Storia Patria (2001) and The Burlington Magazine (2002). In addition to these essays, Professor Jenkens has served as co-editor of a volume of papers in honor of Professor Richard Krautheimer's 100th birthday (1997) and as editor of a volume forthcoming from Ashgate Press on the art of the Renaissance in Siena. His book, Constructing a Dynasty: The Buildings of Pius II and his Family in Siena 1459-1510, is currently being revised for publication in 2003. Professor Jenkens is also a frequent participant at national and international conferences having delivered papers at the College Art Association (1993, session chair 1998), the Renaissance Society of America (1997, 2000, 2003) and the Society of Architectural Historians (2001).

Professor Jenkens was the recipient of an NEH Fellowship of College Teachers (1997-98) and more recently, a residential fellowship at the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (Villa I Tatti) in Florence, Italy (2001-02). His most current research interests focus on the avenue of cultural exchange between Central Italy and the Kingdom of Naples in the fifteenth century.

Professor Jenkens is a professor in the Department of Fine Arts where he has taught since 1994. He teaches courses in Italian art and architecture from the late medieval through the Baroque periods and, in addition, Monuments of World Art and the survey of Western Art.