Sophie Cooper

Sophie Cooper is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen's University Belfast. She specializes in social and cultural history, with a focus on the Irish diaspora, gender, religion, and urban spaces. Her interdisciplinary research bridges material culture, urban studies, and histories of emotion. She currently serves as Subject Lead for the M.Liberal Arts program, designing modules like LIB1001 and LIB7005 that explore global humanities themes.

• Education: BA History (University of Exeter), M.Phil Modern Irish History (Trinity College Dublin), PhD (University of Edinburgh).
• Research: Explores Irish diaspora communities, women's influence on built environments, and Belfast's religious architecture through projects like MappingBelfast.
• Affiliations: President of Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies, founder of HEBE research network.

Her book Forging Identities in the Irish World (2022) won the 2023 Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize. She actively supervises PhD students and has held roles at institutions including the University of Leicester and University College Dublin.

Recent activities include guest lectures at Marquette University and podcasts discussing Irish emigrant nuns. Her work aligns with UN SDGs addressing cultural preservation and sustainable urban development.