She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. at UCLA. Dr. Vogel has worked in various parts of Latin America since 1995, including Nicaragua, Belize and Peru, as well as in California. She currently directs Project El Purgatorio on the north coast of Peru, the proposed capital of the Casma polity. This project focuses on sociopolitical organization and the secularization of the state during a time of political instability in the Andes. Taking a public interest approach to archaeology is an essential aspect of her projects, which work closely with local Peruvian communities.