 Gill received a bachelor's in religion in 1972 from Barnard College and a master's in religion from Columbia University in 1974.She received a second bachelor's from Cambridge University in classics and ancient philosophy in 1976, and a master's and doctorate in classics and ancient philosophy from Cambridge, both in 1981.Gill was an instructor of classics at the University of Pittsburgh from 1979 to 1981 before accepting an appointment as Assistant Professor of Classics and Philosophy there from 1981 to 1988.