Assistant Professor 
UK Paducah Campus 
270-534-3140
Stephen.vicchio[at]uky[dot]edu 

Professional Appointments
Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky, Paducah Campus (2025-Present)
Postdoc, Savannah River National Laboratory (2024-2025)

Education
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (2015)  
M.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan (2018)
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Clemson University (2023)

Research Interests
Heterogeneous catalysis, actinide sciences, computational modeling, waste valorization 

James Alleh

Chemical Engineering PhD Student 
Joined VRG Fall 2025

Contact
joal225[at]uky[dot]edu

Education
BS in Petroleum Engineering, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Nigeria (2024)

Research Interests
Heterogeneous Catalysis in Metal-Organic Frameworks

Leadership Positions
Professional Development Chair, NOBBChE, 2026-2027
Engineering Students Congress (ESC) Representative, MACE, 2026-2027

Benedict D. Afriyie

Chemical Engineering PhD Student
Joined VRG Fall 2025

Contact
dbafriyie[at]uky[dot]edu

Education
BS in Petrochemical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana (2023)

Research Interests
Actinide Heterogeneous Catalysis