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Hello, my name is Heidi Wendt and I am an Associate Professor of Religions of the Greco-Roman World jointly appointed in the School of Religious Studies and the Department of History & Classical Studies (Faculty of Arts). I’m an historian of ancient Mediterranean religion with training, research, and teaching interests that span religious studies, classics, and history and that are informed by material culture and social theory. I study religious change and innovation in the late classical through the Roman periods and seek to integrate the evidence for earliest Christianity into a broader account of religion under the Roman Empire. At McGill I teach across four sets of academic programs and served as the Undergraduate Program Director of HCS from 2021–2024, among other service roles.

I have found McGill a complex institution to navigate but also one populated by administrative, academic, and support staff who are as wonderfully human as they are impressive. My participation in the DIAL (Development Initiative for Academic Leadership) and D-CAL (Demystifying Central Academic Leadership) pilot programs were tremendous opportunities to acquire a deeper understanding of how the University operates while receiving invaluable mentorship from colleagues positioned throughout it in diverse capacities. These experiences, along with my time as a departmental administrator, have yielded various pieces of the McGill puzzle, including a sense of which ones are still missing and how to chase down answers. I am keen to pass on any of that knowledge and learn in turn from new members of our community.

I also arrived at McGill in 2017 with a new baby and have had two other children during my time here. While my life–work balance remains an imperfect best effort, I’ve given a lot of thought to and weathered the tandem challenges of professional life and family responsibilities; I'm happy to share or facilitate information on this front as well!