Aliaa Ismail is part of an exciting new wave of Egyptologists, embracing the latest technology to transform the field of archaeology. Having studied both architectural engineering and Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, she is currently using innovative 3D scanning technology to record the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

Ismail leads the Theban Necropolis Preservation Initiative (TNPI), collecting high resolution, 3D surface data from the ancient tombs. Her current project is digitally preserving the tomb of Seti I, with the priority of helping to preserve information that might deteriorate over time. Before TNPI began scanning tombs, the process of analyzing one tomb could take an average of 10 to 15 years, but now, new digital tools and technological advances take years off of that process.

Born in Cairo, Ismail is a National Geographic Society’s Wayfinder Award recipient (2023) and was awarded the Future 50 Leaders Award in 2022 by the Project Management Institute. She is an honorary NatGeo society member. Her important preservation work in Egyptian tombs has led to features in documentary shows such as “Lost Treasures of Egypt,” “Unearthed,” and many others.

Ismail also runs the Green Desert Project, currently focused on the West Bank of Luxor. The goal is planting 10,000 trees and increasing agricultural crop production throughout Egypt. The initiative has a vision of restoring fertility to the desert and combating desertification that has been encroaching across the country.