Paul Heidebrecht

Contact:
519-885-0220 ext. 24225
paul.heidebrecht@uwaterloo.ca
Office: CGUC 4203

Education:

BASc, University of Waterloo 1994

MA, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 2000

PhD, Marquette University, 2008

Scholarly and Professional Activities:

Inaugural director of the CPA

Director of the Mennonite Central Comitee Ottawa Office

Conrad Grebel Faculty Advocate of the University of Waterloo HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 (2019-2020)

Academic Member of the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute (2019-present)

Member of the Waterloo Council for Responsible Innovation and Technology (2019-present)

Member of the Waterloo Innovation Ecosystem Council (2018-present)

Peer Reviewer of Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning (2017-present)

Convenor of the Social Disruptors Group at the University of Waterloo (2017-present)

Conrad Grebel Representative at the Mennonite Central Committee Iran Network Advisory (2016-present)

Member of the Steering Commitee Social Impact Network of Wateraloo Region (2016-2017)

Research Areas:

The intersection of social innovation and peacebuilding, political advocacy and social ethics, and technology and moral formation.

Courses Taught:

• PACS 302 – Peacebuilding and Social Innovation (offered in Winter 2019)
• PACS 315 – Engineering and Peace (offered in Fall 2019)
• PACS 620 – Thinking and Working Politically (Winter 2020)

About:

Paul Heidebrecht is the inaugural director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, and an adjunct assistant professor who teaches courses in Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College. His current research interests reflect a range of academic fields and professional experiences, including the intersection of peacebuilding and social innovation, technology and ethics, and political advocacy.

Selected Presentations and Publications

• With Joji Pantoja: “Peace Through Entrepreneurship.” 2^nd Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival, Elspeet, Netherlands, 29 June 2019.
• With Scott Campbell, Doreen Fraser, and Maura R. Grossman: “Helping the Medicine Go Down: Teaching Across C.P. Snow’s Two Cultures.” University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference, Waterloo, Ontario, 2 May 2019.
• With Andrew Blum, Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, Karen Henken, and Amit Kakkad: “Strange Bedfellows? Social Justice and Social Innovation Together in Real Life.” Ashoka U Exchange, San Diego, California, 22 February 2019.
• “Why ‘Silicon Valley North’ must build peace” [Op Ed]. The Record (28 May 2018).
• “Christian Political Engagement in a New Key? Reading Ellul in Ottawa.” In Political Illusion and Reality: Engaging the Prophetic Insights of Jacques Ellul, edited by David W. Gill and David Lovekin. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2018.
• “Social Networks as a Litmus Test for Mennonites.” Paper presented at Mennonite Christian – Shi’a Muslim Dialogue VII (“Religion and Youth: Challenges and Solutions”), Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 10 March 2018.
• “Building a Community, Ecosystem, and Field.” Introduction to a workshop on “How to Build a Peace Venture” facilitated at the Venture Peacebuilding Symposium, American University, Washington, DC, 22 January 2018.
• “How Do We Teach—and What Can We Learn About—the Ethics of Technology In a STEM Driven World?” Paper presented at the Technology Ethics Interest Group at the Society of Christian Ethics 59^th Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 5 January 2018.