Academic Bio
Didi is an Egyptian Archaeology PhD candidate, a National Geographic Explorer, and the co-director of the Memphis-Kom el-Fakhry Archaeological Project (Egypt). Her dissertation centers on the reconstruction of paleolake and ancient settlement development in the Fayum using remote sensing and machine learning techniques. She was recently awarded a grant from the National Geographic Society to fund her research and fieldwork in the Fayum Depression.
Didi received her B.A. with Honors in Anthropology (Archaeology) and a minor in Geospatial Technologies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (2017). Her research interests include understanding ancient Egyptian settlement patterns and ancient landscapes through the lens of remote sensing, GIS, and 3D modeling. She has used these technologies to further propel cultural heritage preservation efforts and education initiatives in Egypt, including several outreach opportunities with National Geographic Learning.
In addition to co-directing the Kom el-Fakhry Archaeological Project, Didi has conducted archaeological fieldwork at several sites, including in the United States, France, and Egypt (Tell Edfu, Deir el-Bahri, Asasif, Hermopolis) and has worked as a remote sensing research consultant at NASA Langley Research Center (2016) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2017). In 2018, she also completed a Space Archaeology internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.