Faculty, member and staff

Director, School of Religious Studies

Prof. Mikael Bauer
(mikael.bauer [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Administrative Staff

Vedika Dhawan
Student Affairs Coordinator
(studaffairs.relg [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Firoozeh Ebrahimi
Administrative Coordinator, Finance
(admincoord2.relg [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Chaymaa Hassan
Area Manager, Student Affairs
(chaymaa.abukhabar [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Samieun Khan
Administrative Coordinator, HR and Operations
(admincoord1.relg [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Francesca Maniaci
Area Manager, Finance
(admincofficer.relg [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Viviane Omune
Area Manager, HR and Operations
(managerhr-ops.asc5 [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Alexandra Swan
Supervisor, HR and Operations
(supervisorhr-ops.asc5 [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Faculty Members

Mikael Bauer
Director of School of Religious Studies;
Associate Professor of Japanese Religions (Buddhism), School of Religious Studies;
Associate Member, Department of East Asian Studies
514-398-8318; (mikael.bauer [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

 

Daniel Cere
Associate Professor of Religion, Law, and Public Policy
514-398-4195
(daniel.cere [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Andrea Farran
(on sabbatical)
Associate Professor of South Asian Religions (RELG); Associate Member, History and Classical Studies (HIST); Academic Program Director, South Asian Studies Minor Concentration (HIST)
514-398-7357
(andrea.farran [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Douglas Farrow
Professor of Theology and Ethics
514-398-8945
(douglas.farrow [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Gaelle Fiasse
Associate Professor, a joint appointment with the Department of Philosophy
514-398-4373, 514-398-2974
(gaelle.fiasse [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

Ian Henderson
Associate Professor of New Testament Studies
514-398-1316
(ian.henderson [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

 

Hillary Kaell
Associate Professor, Anthropology and Religion, a joint appointment with the Department of Anthropology
(hillary.kaell [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Jim Kanaris
Associate Professor (Professional), Philosophy of Religion
(jim.kanaris [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Torrance Kirby
Professor of Ecclesiastical History 
514-398-4128
(torrance.kirby [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia Kirkpatrick
Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies Undergraduate Program Director, School of Religious Studies; Chair, B.A. Committee
514-398-7449
(patricia.kirkpatrick [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

 

 

Rongdao Lai
(on sabbatical)
Associate Professor of Chinese Religions (Buddhism), a joint appointment with the Department of East Asian Studies
(rongdao.lai [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Aalekhya Malladi
Assistant Professor of South Asian Religions
514-398-1881
(aalekhya.malladi [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

 

Samuel Nelson
Assistant Professor (Professional)
514-398-8314
(samuel.nelson [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Gerbern Oegema
Professor of Biblical Studies
514-398-4126
(gerbern.oegema [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))







Professor Ayodeji Ogunnaike
Assistant Professor of African Religions; Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in the Globalization of African Religions and Yoruba Mythology
514-396-2940
(ayodeji.ogunnaike [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

 

Armando Salvatore
Barbara and Patrick Keenan Chair in Interfaith Studies; Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies; Associate Member, Institute of Islamic Studies
514-398-3457
(armando.salvatore [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))



Arvind Sharma
Birks Professor in Comparative Religion
514-398-4123
(arvind.sharma [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

 

Hamsa Stainton
Associate Professor of South Asian Religions (Hinduism) Graduate Program Director, School of Religious Studies
514-398-3962
(hamsa.stainton [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))


Heidi Wendt
Associate Professor of Religions, Greco-Roman World, a joint appointment with the Department of History and Classical Studies
514-398-5320
(heidi.wendt [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Current Graduate Students

Mathew K. Birgen	Generally my Ph.D. research interests revolve around the role of the Bible in shaping public social attitudes and concerns. In particular, I examine how these ancient biblical texts reveal various perceptions and attitudes towards the Earth and its members, as well as the impact these perceptions have on the narrative of the human-Earth relationship. In my doctoral research, I foreground African socio-ecological imaginations and local environmental wisdom as essential to biblical interpretation and ecological discourse, exploring how the Hebrew Bible’s vision of the human–Earth relationship can inform contemporary efforts to address ecological crises. I chose to undertake this research at McGill University because of its vibrant and supportive environment. Its strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, together with a diverse academic community, creates an ideal setting for my work. Within the School of Religious Studies, robust programs in theology and religious studies, combined with the mentorship of renowned professors who critically engage with the Bible in dialogue with current social and environmental concerns, foster an inspiring community where my research continues to grow and thrive.
Francesco Bossoletti	Ph.D. student in philosophy of religion at the School of Religious Studies at McGill University. His work centers on Nicholas of Cusa, and in particular his place in debates about the concept of infinity that reaches into Set Theory and the work of Georg Cantor. Bossoletti also contextualizes Cusa’s work within debates about the nature of causation and the development of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) as it is developed by Leibniz, Spinoza, and Kant.
Katie Chandler	She holds B.A.s in Religious Studies, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and History from East Carolina University, completed in 2018. She earned an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022, where she also completed graduate portfolios in Women and Gender Studies and Religious Studies. Her doctoral research at McGill examines the traditions surrounding the snake goddess Manasā in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, drawing on ethnographic fieldwork to explore questions of environmental agency, Indigenous epistemology, and ecofeminism. Her project also explores the categorical boundaries of religion by examining the shared devotional practices of Hindu and Muslim communities. Her broader interests include the intersections of gender, landscape, and ritual practice in South Asian religious context.
Joong Wook Choi	The main focus of their proposed research is the study of the literary tendencies through comparison between the Greek texts from chapter 1 to chapter 11 of the Book of Isaiah (i.e., LXX) and the Dream Visions of 1 Enoch (chaps. 83-90). After I distinguish some unique tendencies of the Greek language of LXX-Isaiah 1 to 11, I will ask whether we can compare LXX-Isaiah 1 to 11 with the Dream Visions of 1 Enoch (chaps. 83-90). I will categorize images, motifs, and themes in a hierarchic echelon from the bottom up to the top. A cluster of images form a motif, and several motifs converge into a theme. At the end, I will present four representative common themes (Exodus, Lawlessness, Exile, and Return). Remnant-rhetoric plays a significant role in both LXX-Isaiah and the Dream Visions of 1 Enoch and connects the four common themes. I will especially highlight the apocalyptic eschatology of the remnant-rhetoric shared by both texts. McGill University hosts various beneficial academic events, offering me good opportunities to develop ideas for my research. In addition, the dedicated faculty members of the school have helped me a lot.
Ana de Souza	Holds B.A. in Classics and World Religions from McGill University (2016). M.A. in History and Philosophy of Religion from Concordia University (2019). LL.M. (Master of Laws) from Dublin City University (2020). Ana studies Canadian religious minorities in the context of multiculturalism, focusing particularly on Hindu nationalism.
Alex Duceppe-Lenoir	Ph.D. candidate at McGill’s School of Religious Studies. Holds an M.A. (McGill) and a B.A.Hons (Bishop’s) in Religious Studies. His research focuses on alternative spiritualities, new religious movements, Québec studies, ritual studies, magic and divination, and theories of religion. His dissertation takes a look at superstitions in Québec, specifically good luck and apotropaic rituals in gambling settings, such as Loto-Québec casinos and bingos.
Ben Ewing	For my Ph.D., I study Vajrayana Buddhism with a particular focus on Indo-Tibetan poetic traditions. My research is aimed at understanding the role of song and poetry in the religious identity of renunciate Buddhist saints in India and Tibet. Specifically, I am interested in the rhetorical tropes of spontaneity, orality, and personal experience that grant authority to these songs. My research involves textual studies of Tibetan and Indian works spanning from the 8th–16th centuries.
Alexandra Johnson-Yeryomin	M.A. student in Religious Studies and Bioethics at McGill University (supervised by Professor Daniel Cere and Professor Cory Andrew Labrecque), where I study the intersection of religion and science in clinical settings. My research examines pastoral theology and the role of accompaniment for patients seeking Medical Aid in Dying, with a focus on how Catholic communities can offer compassionate and theologically grounded support at the end of life. McGill provides an ideal setting for this work, fostering collaboration between the School of Religious Studies and the Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy within the School of Population and Global Health.
Sarah Killman	My research focuses on the historical development of reformed conceptions of the doctrine of Christ's person and work, with special attention to the thought of Herman Bavinck (1854–1921), a Dutch reformed dogmatician, and his use of Protestant reformer John Calvin (1509–1564). Sarah examines how Bavinck, a forerunner of the turn of the century Neocalvinist movement in the Netherlands, drew upon Calvin's theology in order to respond to developing Protestant conceptions of the work of Christ and retrieve Reformation thought in his dogmatics. Sarah also traces the development of categories such as the threefold office of Christ, the two states of Christ's humiliation and exaltation, and the creedal doctrine of Christ's descent into hell in reformed doctrine from Calvin to Bavinck. Since Sarah's project is within the overlapping fields of the history of ideas and ecclesiastical history, she is thrilled to be supervised by Torrance Kirby, Professor of ecclesiastical history in McGill's School of Religious Studies, an expert on the thought of the Protestant Reformation.
Meredith Krueger	Meredith Krueger's doctoral research explores astrological practice in the Roman empire and its social, political and religious contexts. She is also interested in how the history of astrology as a category can shed light on the function and conceptualization of religion in the present. Her project is supervised by Professor Heidi Wendt, a leading scholar on religious actors in the Roman empire, and also benefits from the expertise of scholars within the School and other units at McGill in the theorization of religion, the history of science, and ancient Mediterranean religion.
Ding (monastic name Kuan Lin宽林)	Ding (monastic name Kuan Lin宽林) has a keen interest in religious being and becoming, i.e., the everyday life and growth of modern spiritual practitioners. She studies how Buddhist practitioners in the 21st century navigate and negotiate their spiritual journey amidst numerous social and cultural institutions in the age of de-sectarian movement, inter-faith dialogue, digital globalization, and post-COVID segregation. She joined McGill with an admiration for its diversity of expertise and its pragmatic and reflective scholarship.
Isabelle Lindsay	Ph.D. student in philosophy of religion at McGill’s School of Religious Studies. Her research centres around the relationship between aesthetics and religion and how this relationship contributes to the fields of metaphysics, ontology, and logic in the Middle Ages and Modernity. Her M.A. thesis was on the reception of Nicholas of Cusa in the work of Ernst Cassirer. Building off this work, in her Ph.D. dissertation tracks the interrelated concepts of analogia entis and analogia mentis as they are remoulded in the work of Nicholas of Cusa and Francisco Suárez and pass into modern debates within transcendental philosophy, especially in German idealism, 20th century philosophical theology, and phenomenology.
Genevieve Lutsch	An M.A. student at the School of Religious Studies who specializes in the metaphysics of experience in reference to questions of individuality and mystical union in the spiritual practices of Christianity, from the Middle Ages to Modernity. In particular, she focuses on the shared trajectories of scholastic and mystical theologies in the Jesuit tradition, especially the reception of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Mahdi Sabour	As a Ph.D. student at McGill University, my research explores how contemporary Japanese anime and manga—especially shōnen and seinen works of manga and anime— do more than depict religion: they perform religious and cultural functions within global neoliberal capitalism. I examine how Buddhist, Shinto, and folk symbols are transformed and circulated through media industries to shape identities and spiritual experiences. My work connects the material and visual aspects of these media with their economic and political production. Using visual-material and discourse analysis, ethnographic fieldwork, and archival study across Japan, I trace how religious imagery adapts within media networks. This project redefines the study of religion in Japan by linking popular culture with neoliberal structures and cultural diplomacy. Under the supervision of Professor Bauer and immersed in McGill’s interdisciplinary research culture, I am in the ideal place to develop my academic work with depth, accuracy, and authenticity.
Adam Smith	Ph.D. student in philosophy of religion at McGill’s School of Religious Studies. He specializes in the work of Michel Henry, Martin Heidegger, and the development and place of phenomenology within the wider history of philosophy, with particular reference to Platonism, Early Modern Rationalism, and German Idealism. In particular, Adam focuses on Henry’s L’essence de la manifestation and the debates about the scope and limits of phenomenology and, ultimately, philosophy.
Jonathan Widell	My M.A. thesis examines the enantiosemy (antithetical meaning) of Paul's anathema maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22), where curse and blessing converge paradoxically. Drawing on Shoshana Felman's literary theory and Jean-Daniel Causse's Lacanian readings of Paul, I analyze how this formula operates as what Lacan termed "impossibility"—generating theological meaning through contradictory structure. My 30-year career as professional translator (including 3 years with European Parliament) grounds this work in linguistic precision and contemporary geopolitical awareness. McGill has been my intellectual home: DCL from the Faculty of Law (supervised by Professor Mark Antaki), now M.A. in Religious Studies (supervised by Professor Ian H. Henderson). Montreal's multilingual environment and Quebec's political complexities provide ideal laboratory for work on translation theory and comparative religious semantics.

Adjunct Professors

Chukwuemeka A. Atansi
B.A. (Ibadan, Nigeria), B.Phil., B.Th. (Rome), M.A., M.Th., S.T.L., Ph.D., S.T.D. (Leuven)
(chukwuemeka.atansi [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail)))

Jean Jerome Baudry
B.A. (Trent), M.Div. (Emmanuel College), Ph.D. (Toronto School of Theology)
(jjbaudry [at] ifareligiouscouncil.ca (E-mail))

Brian A. Butcher
B.A. (McGill), M.A., Ph.D. (Saint Paul/Ottawa)
(brian.butcher [at] utoronto.ca (E-mail)))

Roberto Formisano
B.A. (Bologna), Ph.D. (Bologna/Nice)

Thupten Jinpa Langri
B.A. (King's College), D.D. (Shartse College of Ganden), Ph.D. (Cambridge)
(tjlangri [at] sympatico.ca (E-mail))
(Web page)

Lucille Marr
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Waterloo)
(lucille.marr [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Jean Maurais
B.Sc. (UQAM), M.A. (Acadia), Ph.D. (McGill)
(jean.maurais [at] mcgill.ca">E-mail)

Sean Joseph McGrath
B.A. (Ottawa), M.A. (Toronto), M.A. (University of Saint Michael's College), Ph.D. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Christian Theological Academy)
sean.j.mcgrath [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))
(Web page)

Kieko Obuse
B.A. (Kyoto), M.A. (London), M.St., DPhil. (Oxford)
(kieko.obuse [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Jesse Zink
B.A. (Acadia), M.A. (Chicago), M.Div. (Yale), Ph.D. (Cambridge)
(Web page)

Affiliate Members

Morgan Bell
B.A. (Trent), M.Div., Ph.D. candidate (Toronto)
(morgan.bell [at] mail.utoronto.ca (E-mail))

Roland De Vries
B.A. (Guelph), M.Div. (The Presbyterian College), S.T.M. (McGill), Ph.D. (McGill)
(Web page)

George Di Giovanni, (Post-Retirement)
Ph.D. (Toronto)
(Web page)

Adrian Langdon
B.Th. (Masters College and Seminary), M.T.S. (McMaster), Ph.D. (McGill)
(alangdon [at] pcmtl.ca (E-mail))

Anne S. Leahy
M.A. (Toronto), Hon. Ph.D. (St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia), Hon. Ph.D. (St. Thomas, New Brunswick)
(anne.leahy [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Heather McCance
(heather.mccance [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Karen Petersen
B.A. (Pomona College), M.Div. (Princeton), Ph.D. (Gonzaga)
(karen.finch [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

John Simons
B.A. (Bishop's), S.T.B. (Trinity College, Toronto), Ph.D. (Georgetown)

Associate Members

Victor M. Muñiz-Fraticelli
B.A. (Cornell), Juris Doctor cum laude (Puerto Rico), M.A., Ph.D. (Chicago)
(Web page)

Robert Wisnovsky
B.A. (Yale), M.Phil. (Oxford), M.A., Ph.D. (Princeton)
(Web page)

Numata Visiting Professor

In recognition of the strong Buddhist Studies program in McGill's School of Religious Studies, the Numata Foundation has given a 20-year grant to the School of Religious Studies to bring a visiting scholar in Buddhist Studies annually to McGill. The Visiting Professor teaches one course at the 500-level, gives a public lecture and is available to students for conferences and consultation. The first Numata Professor in 1999-2000 was Dr. Mahinda Deegalle. Subsequent visitors include Dr. John Pettit, Dr. Robert Morrison, Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Dr. Kate Crosby, the Ven Yifa, Dr. Robert Kritzer, Dr. Andrew Skilton, Dr. Joel Tatelman, Dr. Miriam Levering, Dr. Hiroko Kawanami, Dr. Dorji Wangchuk, Dr. Martin Adam, Dr. Jin Park, Dr. Roger Jackson, Dr. Burkhard Scherer, Dr. André van der Braak, Dr. Rinpoche Sherpa, Dr. Gregory Samuel, Dr. Martin Seeger, Dr. Robert Rhodes, Dr. Lawrence Y.K. Lau (劉宇光), Martina Draszczky and Pamela Winfield.

Numata Visiting Scholar for Fall 2025 is Professor Rachel Pang.

Sessional Lecturers

Brian A. Butcher
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.  
(brian.butcher [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Aaron Ricker
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. 
(aaron.ricker [at] mail.mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Amanda Rosini
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.  
(amanda.rosini [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Jesse Zink
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
(jesse.zink [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Yaara Morris
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
(yaara.morris [at] mcgill.ca (E-mail))

Honorary Emeritus/Emerita Professors

Donna Runnalls
B.A. (British Columbia), B.D. (McGill), Ph.D. (Toronto)

Frederik Wisse
Ing. (Utrecht), B.A., B.D. (Calvin, Michigan), Ph.D. (Claremont)

Katherine K. Young B.A.
(Vermont), M.A. (Chicago), Ph.D. (McGill)

Retired

G. Victor Sogen Hori
B.A., M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Stanford)

Garth Green
M.A. (Boston), M.A. (Leuven), Ph.D. (Boston)

In Memoriam

Ellen Bradshaw Aitken (1964–2014)

Th.D. Harvard University, New Testament and Early Christianity, B.A. Harvard University, Folkore and Mythology (Ancient Greek)

Profile

Professor Ellen Aitken was Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies from 2007–2014. She had been a member of the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill since 2004, teaching in the area of Early Christian History and Literature. Prior to coming to McGill, she was on the faculty of The Divinity School, Harvard University. She held degrees from Harvard University and the University of the South, with training in Folklore and Mythology, the Classics, and Religious Studies. Her last research, funded by SSHRC, investigated the relationship between Greco-Roman hero cult and ancient Christianity.

At McGill, Professor Aitken had served on numerous committees, including chairing the B.Th. Committee in the Faculty of Religious Studies and as a member of search committees for the Classics Program. She was a member of McGill's Centre for Research on Religion (CREOR) and an honorary faculty member of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College. She was ordained in the Episcopal (Anglican) Church in 1986 and had been recognized widely as a leader in both scholarly and ecclesial communities. She had also received two awards for teaching excellence.

Late Antique Crossroads in the Levant: Space, Rituals, Texts, and Daily Life.

Memorial Tribute to Professor Aitken.

Publications

Maurice Boutin (1938–2019)

McConnell Professor of Philosophical Theology and Philosophy of Religion

B.A., B.A.,B.A. (Montreal), D.Th. (Munich)

Specialization

Hermeneutics; Language and Theories of Religion; Philosophy and Theology of History; Contemporary Religious Movements

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/montreal-qc/maurice-bou...

Gregory Baum (1923–2017)

B.A. (McMaster), M.A. (Ohio State), D.Th. (Fribourg)

Specialization

Social Ethics and Sociology of Religion

Article by Fr. John Walsh

Robert C. Culley (1932–2013)

B.A. (Toronto), B.D. (Knox, Toronto), M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto), D.D. (Montreal Diocesan Theological College)

Specialization

Hebrew Narrative; Psalms

Jospeh C. McLelland (1925–2016)

B.A. (McMaster), M.A. (Toronto), B.D. (Knox, Toronto), Ph.D. (Edinburgh), D.D. (Montreal Diocesan Theological College; Knox, Toronto)

Specialization

Philosophy and Religion

Obituary