Sofia Aziz is an Independent Researcher and Biomedical Egyptologist with a lifelong passion for ancient Egypt. She has contributed to numerous publications, consulted for media, appeared on various podcasts, and been featured in several documentaries and TV series, including Egypt’s Unexplained Files and Voices of the Dead with Bettany Hughes. She has also co-produced several documentary projects.
Her primary research interests centre on Egyptian medicine and mummification methods, intersecting with a wide range of scientific and historical disciplines. Her work focuses on understanding the health of the ancient Egyptians and the diseases they suffered from. Sofia received the 2022 award for outstanding achievement in Biomedical Egyptology. Her research involves analysing radiological datasets, examining palaeopathological records, and studying medical papyri to deepen our understanding of ancient Egyptian lives.
In 2025, she delivered a podium presentation on her research at the XI World Congress on Mummy Studies in Cusco, Peru.
Her current research explores neuroscience in ancient Egypt. Her book, The Human Brain in Ancient Egypt, re-evaluates what ancient Egyptian physicians understood about the brain’s functions, offering new insights into mummification methods and ancient Egyptian medicine.
- Inside the tomb of Queen Meresankh III at Giza, granddaughter of Khufu. ↩︎