Postdoctoral Scholar

The emerging scholars pursuing new research on the ancient world.

Kea Johnston she/her

Joint Postdoctoral Scholar at ISAC and the Field Museum

Research Interests

Ancient Egyptian Funerary Art; Ancient Egyptian Religion; Artifact Conservation; Digital Imaging; Scribal and Artistic Practice; Technology in Museums; Digital Humanities

Kea Johnston headshot

About

After graduating with a PhD in Egyptian Art and Archaeology from University of California, Berkeley in 2022, Kea joined ISAC as the first joint postdoctoral scholar shared between ISAC and the Field Museum. At both museums, she works on digital imaging and the automation of digital imaging processes

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Education

PhD Egyptian Art and Archaeology University of California, Berkeley
2022
BA Computer Science Brown University
2005

Select Publications

Articles

  • Kea Johnston. “Repeating Texts on Wooden Coffins of the Late Period.” In Current Research in Egyptology 2022: Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Symposium, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, 26–30 September 2022, edited by A. Bouhafs, L. Chapon, M. Claude, M. Danilova, L. Dautais, M. Fathy, A.I. Fernández Pichel, M. Guigner, M. Pinon, and M. Valerio, pp. 206–217. CENiM 36. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2023. 
  • Kea Johnston. 2024. “Reading and Writing in Retrograde on Late Period Coffins from Akhmim.” In Current Research in Egyptology 2023: Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Symposium, Basel University, 10th–14th September 2023. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2024.
  • Kea Johnston. “Using Meroitic Pots to Automate Photogrammetry: The Aphoma (Automated Photogrammetry Assets) Project.” In Technology as a Bridge to the Museum: Proceedings of the Conference Held at the University of Chicago’s ISAC Museum, May 23–24, 2025, edited by Kea Johnston. Chicago: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, University of Chicago, forthcoming.

Courses Taught

EGPT 10103 Spring 2026

Middle Egyptian Texts

This class exposed advanced beginners in Middle Egyptian to Egyptian hieroglyphic texts in multiple genres, allowing them to improve their understanding of the grammar of Middle Egyptian while gaining insight into the cultural settings of the texts.

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