Zach Agioutantis

Zach Agioutantis is the Foundation Professor and Department Chair of Mining Engineering at the University of Kentucky's Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering. He has held academic positions at the Technical University of Crete, Greece, from 1989 to 2014, including roles as Professor, Director of the Rock Mechanics Lab, and various faculty ranks.

• PhD, Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech (1987)
• MSc, Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech (1984)
• Diploma, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (1982)

His research spans Rock Mechanics, Geomechanics, Subsidence Engineering, Data Management, and Sustainable Mining. Recent work focuses on blast vibration modeling, groundwater flow simulation, and transitioning from open-pit to underground mining. He has pioneered LiDAR navigation in underground openings and developed software tools for mine design.

Zach's 15 most recent publications (2025–2024) address dynamic subsidence prediction, coal pillar stability, autonomous mining systems, and environmental impacts of longwall mining. Key subfields include Blast Fragmentation, Geohazard Assessment, and Mine Automation.

He has directed the Rock Mechanics Lab at Technical University of Crete and contributed to software development projects like Analysis of Coal Pillar Stability (ACPS). His work integrates machine learning and numerical modeling for methane gas forecasting and structural safety in mines.