Michele Dunne, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former US diplomat, had accepted an invitation to speak at a conference organised by the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, made up primarily of former Egyptian diplomats.
In her work, Dunne is frequently critical of the Egyptian government.
Last August Human Rights Watch executive director Ken Roth and regional director Sarah Leah Whitson were also denied entry to Egypt ahead of the publication of a report accusing the government of possible crimes against humanity.