Faculty members in the Department of Mining Engineering are at the forefront of next-generation mining technology and applications. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Alpha Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, researchers are making advances in rare earth element recovery, autonomous underground mining systems that improve safety and mitigate damage from underground coal mine explosions.
Summer 2024
Glassdoor, 2024
NACE, 2023
The Department of Mining Engineering offers an ABET-accredited undergraduate program on the Lexington, Kentucky campus.
Apply to the program
Two Master’s degrees, a Doctor of Philosophy degree and a graduate certificate are available from the Department of Mining Engineering.
Learn about the programs
UK Pigman College of Engineering researchers in the Department of Mining Engineering Ali Moradi (PI), Zach Agioutantis (Co-I), Pedram Roghanchi (Co-I) and Steven Schafrik (Co-I) have received a $1,250,000 grant over five years from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health for their project, "Strategic Health and Safety Optimization in Transition from Open Pit to Underground Mines."
UK Pigman College of Engineering researchers in the Department of Mining Engineering Pedram Roghanchi (PI), Zach Agioutantis (Co-I), Ali Moradi (Co-I) and Steven Schafrik (Co-I), Muhammad Abu Bakar Siddique (Co-I) in the Department of Computer Science and Sarah Wilson (Co-I) in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering have received a nearly $442,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for their project, "IGE Track 1: Integrating Artificial Intelligence Technologies into Mining Education."
UK Pigman College of Engineering researchers in the Department of Mining Engineering Zach Agioutantis (PI), Steven Schafrik (Co-I) and Joseph Sottile (Co-I) and Matt Beck (Co-I) in the Department of Chemical and Material Engineering have received a nearly $250,000 grant from the Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health Incorporated for their project, "Automated Sensing Module for Enhancing Miner Safety."
UK Pigman College of Engineering researchers in the Department of Mining Engineering Steven Schafrik (PI), Zach Agioutantis (Co-I) and Joseph Sottile (Co-I) have received a nearly $439,000 grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health for their project, "Development and Demonstration of an Automated Shuttle Car."
Rick Honaker, Ph.D., professor of mining engineering in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, has been named winner of the 2025 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Kentucky.
As electronic waste (e-waste) piles up globally, researchers at the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering are spearheading innovative methods to recover valuable metals from discarded devices and industrial waste.
