I am a forest ecologist interested in determining the impacts of ongoing global climate change on forest distribution, structure and function. I am in my 3^rd year of my PhD at the University of Stirling funded by NERC IAPETUS. My research focuses on subtropical montane forests in Taiwan, where 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.

Education: MRes. (Distinction) Biodiversity and Conservation (2016-2017; University of Leeds) BSc. (hons; 1st class) Conservation Biology (2012-2016; University of Aberdeen)

Publications: 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

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirsten_os

Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-o-sullivan-593185120

University page:  https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1017477#aboutme