Bill Mahoney keeps a fast pace both at the office and at home.
As a senior researcher and global applications manager, Bill’s work often has him running around the world. As a dad, one of his favorite activities is chasing his three young kids around the house. And if he gets a little extra spare time, he heads outside to jog around the neighborhood.
Bill, whose degrees include an Associate in Science from Moraine Valley, a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master’s and a doctorate in chemical engineering from Purdue University, has been working in various capacities for the past 13 years at Praxair Inc., a company that produces, distributes and sells gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium, and even neon found in electric lights. “We sell gases at all scales from cylinders for welding and medicinal oxygen, to large plants for steelmaking that can consume a thousand tons of oxygen per day and more,” said Bill, who’s mainly involved in the technical area of gas applications.
It was during his time in Champaign that he was exposed to the entire process of research and development, including laboratory set up, experimental designs and problem formulation. “I naturally enjoyed the entire process and still do beyond expression. I cannot picture myself doing anything else except exploration, research and technical development,” Bill said.
And it was while working on his master’s and doctorate degrees that he became more involved in nanotechnology. “My technical area of research involved nanotechnology, which has since taken on substantial prominence in recent years. It was a great thrill to attend professional technical conferences and present research results as well as publish such results in prominent technical journals,” Bill said. “I was fortunate to have worked with very good teams in graduate school and it was a great feeling to contribute in a meaningful and professional way to scientific literature.”
And it was while working on his master’s and doctorate degrees that he became more involved in nanotechnology. “My technical area of research involved nanotechnology, which has since taken on substantial prominence in recent years. It was a great thrill to attend professional technical conferences and present research results as well as publish such results in prominent technical journals,” Bill said. “I was fortunate to have worked with very good teams in graduate school and it was a great feeling to contribute in a meaningful and professional way to scientific literature.”
While Bill has several schools to thank for fine educations that led to a successful career, he says his years at Moraine Valley really helped to shape his future. “I had chosen to go to Moraine Valley for many reasons. Financially, it was a great deal. And, frankly, for not being the most focused of high school students-and that is an understatement-I needed the classes to help boost up my record and to help me develop my interests and abilities,” Bill said.
“Moraine Valley helped guide me to who I am today. I learned stronger study habits and eventually came to be a stronger student,” he said. “In all aspects, Moraine cleared the path and opened my eyes to a different future.”
