I am a PhD researcher at the University of Stirling funded by NERC IAPETUS. My research looks at changing distribution and composition of subtropical montane forests in Taiwan.
I also work as an Academic Skills Tutor for the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Tutor/Demonstrator on Undergraduate and Masters level courses in Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Education: MRes. (Distinction) Biodiversity and Conservation (2016-2017; University of Leeds) BSc. (hons; 1st class) Conservation Biology (2012-2016; University of Aberdeen)
My research aims to understand the impacts of ongoing global climate change on forest distribution, structure and function. Focusing on subtropical montane forests in Taiwan, I am investigating changes from the ecosystem to the species level using national forest inventory data, field surveys and lab based growth experiments. As global environmental changes continue, this information will feed into a broader understanding of impacts, to allow us to prepare for the implications of such changes for biodiversity, ecosystem function and dependent human populations.
I am supervised by Prof. Alistair Jump, Prof. Danny Donoghue (Durham University), Dr. Jan-Chang Chen (National Pingtung University of Science and Technology) and Dr Thiago Silva. My industrial partner is Guan Sheng Ecosystem Ltd.
Article
O’Sullivan KSW, Vilà-Cabrera A, Chen J, Greenwood S, Chang C & Jump AS (2022) High intraspecific trait variation results in a resource allocation spectrum of a subtropical pine across an elevational gradient. Journal of Biogeography, 49 (4), pp. 668-681. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14336
Article
O'Sullivan KSW, Ruiz-Benito P, Chen J & Jump AS (2021) Onward but not always upward: individualistic elevational shifts of tree species in subtropical montane forests. Ecography, 44 (1), pp. 112-123. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05334
I am an an Academic Skills Tutor for the Faculty of Natural Sciences. I also regularly tutor on Undergraduate and Masters level modules including Geomatics, Statistics, Biodiversity, Field Skills, Biosphere, Population and Community Ecology, Habitat Management, Biogeography and the Spain Field Course.
