Salima Ikram (; born 17 May 1965) is a Pakistani professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, a participant in many Egyptian archaeological projects, the author of several books on Egyptian archaeology, a contributor to various magazines and a guest on pertinent television programs. Early life Ikram was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1965. She developed an interest in archaeology at the age of eight upon receiving copies of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales and Ancient Egypt by Time Life Books Editors. A visit to Egypt when she was nine heightened her interest in Egyptology. Education Ikram studied Egyptology and Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, earning a BA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and History. Continuing her studies at the University of Cambridge, she earned her M.Phil. and PhD in Egyptology and Museum Studies. Her PhD thesis was entitled 'Choice cuts: meat production in Ancient Egypt'. Career Ikram lives in Cairo and teaches Egyptology and Archaeology at the American University in Cairo, where she is a Professor of Egyptology. In 2017, Ikram was a visiting professor at Yale University for the fall term. There she taught the courses Death and Burial, and Food and Drink in Ancient Egypt. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017 as an international honorary member. Ikram is the co-director of the Animal Mummy Project at the Egyptian Museum. Since 2001, she has directed the North Kharga Oasis Survey (NKOS) with Corinna Rossi, and directed the North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Survey and the Amenmesse Mission of KV10 and KV63 in the Valley of the Kings. She has also worked with André Veldmeijer of the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo on the Ancient Egypt Leatherwork Project (AELP). She co-directed the Predynastic Gallery Project. Ikram has an active media presence, contributing to articles on Egyptology in Egypt Today and National Geographic. She has also written for Kmt, a journal of modern Egyptology. Ikram has appeared on documentary series and specials for PBS, Channel 4, Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Netflix, and the BBC. She has been featured in over 30 documentaries and specials focusing on her area of expertise. Some of her television credits include 'Unearthing Ancient Secrets: Animal Mummies' on Sci Channel; 'Da Vinci Code: Decoded' on Channel 4 UK; 'Tomb Raiders: Robbing the Dead' on History Channel; and 'The Real Scorpion King' on History Channel.