Heidi works on the transnational history of news in the twentieth century. Her research addresses the news agency networks which enabled the collection and dissemination of news. She thereby seeks to understand how the meaning of news has emerged from a nexus of politics, economics, technology, and society; her dissertation examined the role of German news agencies in that constant creation of meaning. Further research interests include radio, international organizations, and intellectual property. In October 2012, she launched the UN History Project website to provide materials for researching and teaching the history of international organizations.

She received her BA (Hons) in Modern and Medieval Languages with a double first from Cambridge University in 2006 and earned her PhD in History from Harvard University in May 2012. She currently holds the position of Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies and Lecturer on History in the Harvard History Department.