Jacob Sorber

Jacob Sorber is a Professor in the School of Computing at Clemson University where he teaches Computer Science courses and leads the PERSIST Research Lab. His research focuses on developing smaller, more efficient, and maintenance-free embedded systems and wearables that operate through energy harvesting and intermittent computing techniques.

Dr. Sorber earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst under Mark Corner, continuing an academic genealogy tracing back to Sir Isaac Newton. His research interests prominently feature Batteryless Computing, Embedded Systems, and Wearable Security, with applications in health monitoring and sustainable infrastructure. He develops hardware and software technologies enabling devices to adapt to changing conditions, recover from power failures, and operate for decades without maintenance.

Recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward batteryless wireless networking and user-centered wearable design, with significant contributions to energy storage for intermittent sensors and eating behavior monitoring systems. His work bridges theoretical advances in intermittent computing with practical health applications like the Auracle ear-mounted eating detection system.

Scientific Awards:

• Fulbright Scholar to Botswana (2019-20)
• Dean's Professor of Computer Science (2016)
• NSF CAREER Award (2015)
• SenSys Best Paper (2014)
• Multiple conference best paper/poster awards

Dr. Sorber has secured substantial NSF funding including CAREER and project grants for Auracle and Amulet, and successfully mentored students like Josiah Hester who joined Northwestern University as an Assistant Professor. His Fulbright award enabled impactful work in Botswana advancing sustainable computing applications.

He directs the PERSIST Research Lab which develops foundational technologies including Ekho (energy harvesting simulation), Mementos (checkpointing for batteryless devices), and Turducken (hierarchical power management), with active collaborations in health informatics and environmental engineering for real-world deployments.