Jim Mahaney has been contributing to research at Carolina for 28 years.
Jim Mahaney has worked for UNC-Chapel Hill in a variety of roles, most recently as the director of engineering and research in the UNC Department of Computer Science.
What brought you to Carolina?
Growing up in eastern North Carolina, anyone who was interested in going to college wanted to go to UNC-Chapel Hill. Carolina has a great reputation across the state for academics and athletics, putting it at the top of the list for myself as well as most N.C. students looking to attend an in-state public university. At least a dozen of my high school classmates came to Carolina, but many more applied and were denied.
After I was accepted, I remember coming for a tour as everyone always talked about the beautiful campus. It turned out to be the same weekend as a two-day Grateful Dead concert at the Dean Smith Center (yes, they used to have concerts at the Dean Dome). Campus was certainly not at its best after being inundated by Dead Heads, but I somehow saw past the tie-died shirts and Volkswagen vans and decided this was where I wanted to be — and I have never regretted that decision.
How has your role here changed over the years?
I have always been involved in research. In 1997, I began as a student intern in the UNC Department of Computer Science. During that time, I developed a passion for “hands-on” research, working side by side with John Thomas, the former Applied Engineering Lab manager, designing and fabricating devices in the machine shop.
Impact Report
The UNC Department of Computer Science was founded in 1964 by Frederick Brooks, who helped bring IBM to Research Triangle Park. It is the second-oldest free-standing computer science department in the U.S.
Jim Mahaney advances computer science research by designing and fabricating technology for use in augmented and virtual reality, 3D visualization, robotics, medicine, weather systems, fluid dynamics, and marine science.
After graduation, I started working full time for the department and was involved in a variety of research projects before leaving in the winter of 2005 for a position at UNC’s Information Technology Services (ITS). At ITS, I was part of a small group of staff that formed the Technology Assessment and Planning Group, which was tasked to find ways for the university to leverage cutting-edge technology.
In 2007, I moved to RENCI as a research engineer and spent the next five years working on everything from weather-tracking systems to 3D LiDAR scanning of historical sites. When it was announced that Thomas was retiring, I came back to computer science in his role as Applied Engineering Lab manager. From there, my duties expanded to managing all the labs in the department, as well as the labs for applied math.
Later, I added director of the Applied Engineering Lab and facilities manager to my ever-growing list of responsibilities before finally taking on my current role of director of engineering and research.
What’s kept you at Carolina?
Research and students. I predominantly work with graduate students, spending four to five years with them while they complete their PhDs. While I don’t teach in the traditional sense, I do like to think that the students learn skills not found inside the classroom. Whether it’s welding or how to change a car tire, I’m always eager to share what I’ve learned over the years to help broaden their perspectives outside of academia.
Recently, I have begun working with large numbers of undergraduate students, introducing them to the skills needed to become future researchers and engineers. While these interactions may be shorter, they have been just as rewarding.
What contribution are you most proud of?
My current collaboration with Lauren Leve, a professor of religious studies, is by far the most interesting and important work that I have been involved with while at Carolina. For the last two years, we have been traveling to Nepal, working at a 2000-year-old temple in Kathmandu called Swayambhunath. While Lauren uses her expertise in religion and anthropology to capture many of the intangible assets associated with the temple, I have been focused on creating a 3D model of the entire complex.
This has allowed me to leverage years of research experience to capture data in the field and to process that data into usable models. While this may just seem like a standard historical preservation project, Kathmandu is in a major earthquake zone, meaning these models aren’t just for scholars to pore over — they are vital for reconstruction after the next major quake.
What is a uniquely Carolina experience you’ve had?
When I was still in high school, I had the opportunity to tour Sitterson Hall, where the computer science department is now located, just a few years after its construction. I spent an evening going through all the labs — having no idea that I would one day run them.
In particular, I remember my first virtual reality experience, which was a technology almost unheard of outside of academia in the early 1990s. They placed what looked like a fighter pilot’s helmet on my head and handed me a pool ball with a single button mounted inside it. Using the ball like a 3D mouse, I could draw in the air with the option to pick various tool tips and colors. I recall the shaving cream tool was my favorite, and I quickly filled the 3D space with blobs of colored shaving cream, completely amazed that I could walk through my “art” after I finished.
After stepping out of the building, I had this overwhelming feeling that I’d just stepped into the future. More than 35 years later, I’m still chasing that future, always interested in the next big leap in technology.
Rooted recognizes long-standing members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who have aided in the advancement of research by staying at Carolina. They are crucial to the UNC Research enterprise, experts in their fields, and loyal Tar Heels. Know someone we should feature? Nominate a researcher.