Josiah Hester

Josiah Hester is Associate Professor of Interactive Computing and Computer Science at Georgia Tech's College of Computing, where he also directs the Center for Advancing Responsible Computing and the Ka Moamoa – Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing Lab. His research focuses on sustainable, battery-free computing systems for health, conservation, and education, informed by his Native Hawaiian heritage.

• Education:
• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Clemson University, 2017
• B.S. in Computer Science, Clemson University Honors College, 2011

Research Interests:

Hester’s group pioneers intermittent computing—devices that harvest ambient energy (solar, radio, thermal, microbial) and operate reliably despite frequent power loss. Applications span:

• Large-scale conservation sensing with Indigenous communities
• Battery-free health wearables (smart masks, implantables)
• Educational tools for sustainable design
• Carbon-aware IoT and recyclable robotics

Recent Work & Trends:

His 2024–2025 publications unveil soil-powered sensors, recyclable electronics, and culturally-grounded CS education tools. A consistent theme is co-design with underserved communities and embedding sustainability metrics at every layer—from hardware to curriculum.

Scientific Awards:

• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) – 2025
• Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship – 2022
• NSF CAREER Award – 2022
• Popular Science “Brilliant 10” – 2021
• 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award – 2021
• Multiple best-paper & best-presentation awards

Grants & Teams:

Hester’s lab is supported by >$50 million in active funding from NSF, NIH (ARPA-H), DARPA, DoD, Sloan, VMware, and 3M. He leads interdisciplinary teams on projects such as:

• $35 million ARPA-H bioelectronics initiative for diabetes and cancer
• $5 million NSF “Coastlines and People” Hub for Manoomin conservation
• $2 million NSF-DELPHI sustainable edge device design

Laboratory & Mentorship:

The Ka Moamoa Lab (named with Hawaiian meaning “lamp of the moamoa fish”) hosts graduate, undergraduate, and post-doctoral researchers. Hester actively recruits Native and Indigenous students and has mentored award-winning advisees such as Nivedita Arora (ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award 2024).