After moving from Canada, Dr. Kasia Szpakowska earned her BA in Special Major: Egyptology at San Francisco State University, with advanced MA coursework in Museum Studies as well as World Comparative Religion and Mythology. There, she participated in seven exhibits of the Sutro Egyptian Collection, and the Treganza Anthropology Museum, where she worked as Assistant Director. At UCLA she earned her MA and her PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures: Egyptology. Her secondary languages were Akkadian and Sumerian. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology.

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Dr. Szpakowska is a member of the International Association of Egyptologists, the Egypt Exploration Society, the American Research Center in Egypt, the American Academy of Religion, CEMA (Centre for Egyptology and Mediterranean Archaeology), GENCAS, Phi Beta Kappa, and she is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

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Current research

Dr. Kasia Szpakowska conducts research on private religious practices in Ancient Egypt and interactions with other cultures of the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean world. Currently she is holds a British Academy Grant (2009–2010) for her project on Clay cobra figurines of ancient Egypt and the Levant, which will culminate in a published catalogue and digital database, articles in major journals such as the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, as well as invited chapters in edited volumes. She is collaborating with European colleagues on a research project and workshops on Demonology in ancient Egypt. Both of these projects form part of a larger piece of research on Ancient Egyptian cults on the fringe: Religious interconnections in the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean world, which will involve an interdisciplinary conference and conclude with a research monograph. She has published and continues to work on daily life and gender, focusing on childhood in ancient Egypt. Dr. Szpakowska continues to receive invitations and commissions to write chapters in targeted edited volumes, to engage in work on editorial boards, such as Blackwell Religion Compass, and to lecture at museums, local societies, and for the media.

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Principal archaeological fieldwork

Dr. Szpakowska participated in the joint Deutsches Archäologisches Institut/University of California at Los Angeles archaeological mission at Dra Abu el-Naga (1996).

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Principal publications

Books

• Daily life in ancient Egypt: Reconstructing Lahun. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.
• Behind closed eyes: Dreams and nightmares in ancient Egypt. Swansea: The Classical Press of Wales, 2003.
  

Volume editor

• Egyptian stories: A British Egyptological tribute to Alan B. Lloyd. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 347, Münster:  Ugarit-Verlag, 2007. [with Thomas Schneider]
• Through a glass darkly: Magic, dreams, and prophecy in ancient Egypt. Swansea, Wales: The Classical Press of Wales, 2006.
  

Book chapters and journal articles

• ‘Flesh for fantasy: Reflections of women in two ancient Egyptian dream books.’ In Egyptian stories: A British Egyptological tribute to Alan B. Lloyd, edited by Thomas Schneider and Kasia Szpakowska. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 347, Münster:  Ugarit-Verlag, 2007. 393–404.
• ‘Word play in the Ramesside dream book.’ Studien zür altägyptische Kultur 35 (2006): 193–212.  [with Scott Noegel]
• ‘Playing with Fire: Initial observations on the religious uses of clay cobras from Amarna.’ Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 40 (2003): 43–53.
  
• ‘The open portal: Dreams and divine power in pharaonic Egypt.’ In Prayer, magic, and the stars in the ancient and Late Antique World, edited by Scott B. Noegel, Joel Walker, and Brannon Wheeler, University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003. 111–124.
  
• ‘Through the looking glass: Dreams and nightmares in pharaonic Egypt.’ In Dreams: A reader on the religious, cultural, and psychological dimensions of dreaming, edited by Kelly Bulkeley. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 29–43.

Forthcoming

• ‘Demons in the dark: Nightmares and other nocturnal enemies of ancient Egypt.’ In Ancient Egyptian theology and demonology: Studies on the boundaries between the divine and demonic in Egyptian magic, edited by Panagiotis Kousoulis. Orientalia lovaniensia analecta. Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters.
• ‘Dream interpretation in the Ramesside age.’ In Ramesside Studies, edited by Mark Collier and Steven Snape. Bolton: Rutherford Press. 325–333.
• ‘Infancy in a rural community: A case study of early childhood at Lahun.’ In The proceedings of the Xth International Congress of Egyptologists, ed. Panagiotis Kousoulis.
• ‘Religion in pharaonic society.’ In The Blackwell companion to ancient Egypt, edited by Alan B. Lloyd. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, [2009].
• ‘Egypt in the pharaonic age.’ In A companion to women in the ancient world, edited by Sharon L.  James and Sheila Dillon. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, [2010].

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Recent conference papers and invited lectures

• January 18 2009: ‘Behind Closed Eyes: Dreams and nightmares in Ancient Egypt.’ the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
• January 19 2009: ‘Striking Cobra Spitting Fire: The cult of the snake in New Kingdom Egypt.’ Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
• May 22–29 2008: ‘Infancy of the Non-Elite: A Case Study of Early Childhood in Lahun. ’Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists, Rhodes.
• April 26-27 2008: ‘Nocturnal Demons in Ancient Egypt’ Annual Conference of the American Research Center in Egypt, Seattle, WA.
• March 14–16 2008:    ‘Infancy of the Non-Elite: A Case Study of Early Childhood in Lahun’ Second British Egyptology Congress, Liverpool.
• November 14–15 2007: ‘Nightmares in Ancient Egypt.’ Nightmares in Antiquity, Strasbourg, France.
• April 21–23 2007: ‘Pinch-Pots and Diaper Rash: Childhood in Lahun’ Annual Conference of the American Research Center in Egypt, Toledo, Ohio.
• December 9–10 2006: ‘Domestic Cults of the Snake in Ancient Egypt’ The Exploited and Adored: Animals in Ancient Egypt, Egypt Centre, Swansea.
• November 22 2006: ‘Mentoring and Support of Young Career Researchers' National Conference of University Professors seminar on RAE 2008: London.
• May 22–25 2006: ‘Speaking in Parseltongues: Snake cults and Egyptian military bases.’ Walls of the Ruler: Fortifications, police beats, and military checkpoints in Ancient Egypt, Swansea, Wales.
• April 28–30 2006: ‘Flesh for Fantasy: Reflections of women and gender in two Egyptian dreambooks’Annual Conference of the American Research Center in Egypt, Jersey City, New Jersey.
• March 17–20 2006: ‘On Egyptian Dreams.’ A. Leo Oppenheim Remembered: The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East after Fifty Years at the American Oriental Society Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington.
• May 7 2005: ‘Dreams and the Fiery Serpent.’ Alchemy and Philosophy in Egypt Across the Ages, Egyptian Educational and Cultural Bureau, London.

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Principle research awards, fellowships, and prizes

• British Academy Small Research Grant 2009–2010
• British Academy Overseas Conference Grant 2008
• British Academy Overseas Conference Grant 2006