Steven Schafrik

Steven Schafrik is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Kentucky. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Mining and Mineral Engineering from Virginia Tech. His research focuses on mining systems automation, computer applications in mining education, and mine safety technologies. He has held various academic and research roles at Virginia Tech before joining UK in 2017.

Education:

• Ph.D., Mining and Mineral Engineering, Virginia Tech (2013)
• M.S., Mining and Mineral Engineering, Virginia Tech (2001)
• B.S., Mining and Mineral Engineering, Virginia Tech (1999)

Research Interests:

• Automation of mining equipment and operations
• Underground mine ventilation and gas management
• Robotics and sensor systems for mine safety
• Development of dust mitigation technologies
• Application of computational methods (CFD, discrete element modeling)

Recent Article Trends: Recent work emphasizes autonomous systems integration, methane gas prediction, and advanced filtration solutions. His studies span robotics navigation, LiDAR-based mapping, and multivariate time series analysis for safety-critical applications.

Awards: No specific honors or awards listed in the provided text.

Advising & Grants: Serves as Director of Graduate Studies, overseeing academic programs but no specific advisee names listed. His research has involved partnerships with industry and government agencies (e.g., NIOSH).

Labs/Teams: Formerly associated with Virginia Tech’s Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research. Current affiliations at UK’s Mining Engineering Department focus on applied research in mining automation and safety technologies.