William Maher Nelson

William Maher Nelson
Adjunct Professor, Department of Chemistry
University of Illinois, USA

Biography

William Nelson is an organic chemist, and has been involved with Green Chemistry since 1995. Growing up within a military family, Bill (as he prefers to be called) has been able to see many parts of the world, which heightened his commitment to preserving the natural environment and promoting sustainability through chemistry. He earned a doctorate in organic chemistry from The Johns Hopkins University, during which time he studied the synthesis and photobiology of analogs of the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. Bill has worked in industry as a research chemist, in government (both state of Illinois and US EPA) in environmental protection and pollution prevention, and in education (teaching and directing research.) He currently is an Adjunct professor in the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois, while he consults and writes in the areas of green and sustainable chemistry. When not working, Bill enjoys swimming, running, skiing and biking.

Research Interest

Novel green solvents (aqueous, supercritical CO2, and ionic liquids);
Biomass and the biorefinery;
Green chemistry and green analytical chemistry;
Surfactants