Eric Lionel Jones was born on 21 September 1936 in England. He spent his childhood in Andover, Hampshire (30km from Stonehenge). From 1970 to 1975, he was professor of economics at Northwestern University, near Chicago, Illinois. He then moved to Australia where, from 1975 to 1994, he was professor of economics and economics history at La Trobe University, in Melbourne. Over his career, Jones had visiting appointments at Yale, Manchester, Princeton, University of Berlin and the Center for Economic Studies at Munich.
Eric Jones is now Emeritus Professor of Economic Systems and Ideas at La Trobe University, half-time Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Business School, and part-time Professor of Economics at the University of Reading (England). He also serves as a consultant for Australian companies and government.