The IACS was founded during the First International Congress of Coptology in Cairo (actually: Colloquium on the Future of Coptic Studies, 11-17 December 1976), sponsored by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, at the end of the UNESCO project to publish a facsimile edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices. An important predecessor of the newly founded association was the Cairo-based Société d’Archéologie Copte (formerly, 1934-1937, Association des Amis des Églises et de l’Art Coptes), whose president, Mirrit Boutros Ghali, became one of the first honorary presidents of the IACS.

Including the meeting in Cairo, there have now been thirteen International Congresses of Coptic Studies sponsored by the IACS, as follows: (1) Cairo, 11-17 December 1976; (2) Rome, 22-26 September 1980; (3) Warsaw, 20-25 August 1984; (4) Louvain-la-Neuve, 5-9 September 1988; (5) Washington, 12-15 August 1992; and (6) Münster, 21-26 July 1996; (7) Leiden, 27 August-2 September 2000; (8) Paris, 28 June-3 July 2004; (9) Cairo, 14-20 September 2008; (10) Rome, 17-22 September 2012; (11) Claremont, CA, 25-30 July 2016; (12) Brussels, 11-16 July 2022; (13) Göttingen, 27August-1 July 2026. The 14th International Congress of Coptic Studies will take place in Oslo in 2030.

At a business meeting during each of these congresses, the members of the IACS have elected officers, as well as honorary presidents:

HONORARY PRESIDENTS: Mirrit Boutros Ghali (1976-1992†), Pierre du Bourguet (1976-1988†), Labib Habashi (1976-1984†), Pahor Labib (1976-1994†), Gamal Mokhtar (1976-1998†), H.J. Polotsky (1976-1991†), Torgny Säve-Söderbergh (1976-1998†), Alla I. Elanskaya (1984-2005†), Hans Quecke (1996-1998†), Rodolphe Kasser (2000-2013†), Martin Krause (2000-2024†), James M. Robinson (2000-2016†), Bishop Samuel (2000-2003†), Tito Orlandi (2022-), Stephen Emmel (2026-).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1976-1980: Martin Krause (president), Bentley Layton (president-elect), Tito Orlandi (editor-treasurer), Frederik Wisse (congress secretary), Oswald H.E. Burmester (director, Cairo Center); Barbara Aland, Rodolphe Kasser, Jacques-É. Ménard, Peter Nagel (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1980-1984: Bentley Layton (president), Rodolphe Kasser (president-elect), Tito Orlandi (editor-treasurer), Włodzimierz Godlewski (congress secretary), Leslie S.B. MacCoull (director, Cairo Center); Peter Grossmann, Antoine Guillaumont, Peter Nagel, Julien Ries (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1984-1988: Rodolphe Kasser (president), Peter Nagel (president-elect), Tito Orlandi (editor-treasurer), Julien Ries (congress secretary), Peter Grossmann (director, Cairo Center); Stephen Emmel, Søren Giversen, Antoine Guillaumont, Marguerite Rassart-Debergh (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1988-1992: Peter Nagel (president), Søren Giversen (president-elect), Tito Orlandi (editor-treasurer), David W. Johnson (congress secretary), Peter Grossmann (director, Cairo Center); Stephen Emmel, Marguerite Rassart-Debergh, Gawdat Gabra, Paul-Hubert Poirier (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1992-1996: Søren Giversen (president), Stephen Emmel (president-elect), Tito Orlandi (editor-treasurer), Martin Krause (congress secretary), Peter Grossmann (director, Cairo Center); Anne Boud’hors, Gawdat Gabra, Włodzimierz Godlewski, Paul-Hubert Poirier (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 1996-2000: Stephen Emmel (president), Tito Orlandi (president-elect), Martin Krause (editor-treasurer), Jacques van der Vliet (congress secretary), Peter Grossmann (director, Cairo Center); Nathalie Bosson, Anne Boud’hors, Włodzimierz Godlewski, Marie-Hélène Rutschowscaya (members at large).

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2000-2004: President: Tito Orlandi; President-elect: Theofried Baumeister; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Alberto Camplani; Members at large (1 term): Nathalie Bosson, Marie-Hélène Rutschowskaya; Members at large (2 terms): Sarah J. Clackson, Jacques van der Vliet; Director of the Cairo Center: Peter Grossmann Congress secretary: Anne Boud’hors.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2004-2008: President: Theofried Baumeister; President-elect: Anne Boud’hors; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Tito Orlandi; Members at large (1 term): Roger S. Bagnall, Jacques van der Vliet; Members at large (2 terms): Elizabeth S. Bolman, Wolf B. Oerter; Director of the Cairo Center: Peter Grossmann; Congress secretary: Ramez Boutros.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2008-2012: President: Anne Boud’hors; President-elect: Jacques van der Vliet; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Tito Orlandi; Members at large (1 term): Elizabeth S. Bolman, Wolf B. Oerter; Members at large (2 terms): Andrew Crislip, Heike Behlmer; Director of the Cairo Center: Peter Grossmann Congress secretary: Alberto Camplani.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2012-2016: President: Jacques van der Vliet; President-elect: Davide Brakke; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Tito Orlandi; Members at large (1 term): Heike Behlmer, Andrew Crislip; Members at large (2 terms): Paola Buzi, Malcolm Choat; Director Cairo Center: Peter Grossman; Editor Journal of Coptic Studies: Anne Boud’hors; Congress secretary: Hany Takla.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2016-2022: President: David Brakke; President-elect: Heike Behlmer, then substituted by Paola Buzi; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Tito Orlandi; Members at large (1 term): Paola Buzi (later substituted by Janet Ann Timbie), Malcolm Choat; Members at large (2 terms): Elisabeth O’Connell, Caroline Schroeder; Director Cairo Center: Peter Grossman; Editor Journal of Coptic Studies: Anne Boud’hors; Congress secretary: Alain Delattre.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2022-2026: President: Paola Buzi; President-elect: Tonio Sebastian Richter; Secretary: Stephen Emmel; Web master: Alin Suciu; Members at large (1 term): Elisabeth O’Connell, Caroline Schroeder; Members at large (2 terms): Florence Calament, Hugo Lundhaug; Director Cairo Center: Mourad Wahba; Editor Journal of Coptic Studies: Anne Boud’hors; Congress secretary: Frank Feder.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2026-2030: President: Tonio Sebastian Richter; President-elect: Sofía Torallas Tovar; Secretary: Victor Ghica; Web master: Alin Suciu; Members at large (1 term): Florence Calament, Frank Feder (replacing Hugo Lundhaug, who became Congress secretary); Members at large (2 terms): Mary K. Farag, Maher Eissa; Director Cairo Center: Mennat-Allah El Dorry; Editor Journal of Coptic Studies: Matthias Müller; Congress secretary: Hugo Lundhaug.

In 1990, the IACS published An International Directory of Institutions Holding Collections of Coptic Antiquities outside of Egypt, edited by Stephen Emmel (Rome: Centro Italiano Microfiches) and also founded the Journal of Coptic Studies, edited by G.M. Browne and Stephen Emmel (Louvain: Peeters Press).

As of 2023, the official address of the IACS is: Institut für Ägyptologie und Koptologie, Schlaunstrasse 2, D-48143 Münster, Germany. Telephone: +49 251 8324940, or +49 251 8324537; fax: +49 251 8329933; e-mail: emmstel@uni-muenster.de