Lexie Henning

Lexie Henning is the Programs & Administration Coordinator for the Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World and the Yarshater Center for the Study of Iranian Literary Traditions. She holds a BA in Classics from the University of Missouri and an MSc in Southeast European Studies: Politics, History, Economics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her thesis focused on the impact of Islamic iconoclasm on the Hagia Sophia and its effect on cultural heritage policy in contemporary Turkey. Her research interests include Classical reception in media, nationalism studies, and cultural heritage in political conflict. In 2020, she co-founded The Ozymandias Project, a humanities focused non-profit aimed at making access to the ancient world more accessible to the general public. Her work in public humanities led her to create and host Ancient Office Hours podcast and co-host The Reading Party Podcast. Before coming to UCLA, she worked on political campaigns in her home state of Illinois, interned on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., and served on the communications staff for the Illinois State Senate. In the future, she hopes to return to school and complete a PhD, melding art history, political science, and world heritage issues.