Dr Coopey is one of eight early-career researchers to receive the 2026 Humanities Travelling Fellowships. This award recognises the promise and impact of his research into how everyday objects were integral to the entrenchment of imperialism in the ancient Roman world.

His project, Ecologies of Empire in Roman Dalmatia, draws on posthumanism and data collected in Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to investigate how inscribed stone monuments, coins and items of dress, wove imperialism into the environmental, social, and mental landscapes (the 'ecologies') of Roman Dalmatia across the first three centuries CE.

The fellowship will enable Dr Coopey to undertake further research in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, connect with universities and archaeological institutes, engage with scholars and experts, and access cultural collections.

Dr Coopey’s work will consider how ancient and contemporary ideologies are sustained through networks of things and the everyday practices that bring people into contact with them.

“This research investigates the role of everyday objects in sustaining Roman imperialism, providing insights into how networks of things can sustain systems of power,” Dr Coopey said.

“This confronts how objects are implicit in the perseverance of the imperialist logics which underpin our seeming inability to confront the environmental and political crises of today and attests to the importance of the humanities for facing these complex contemporary issues.”