Kirsten O’ Sullivan
PhD
Kirsten O' Sullivan
PhDForest Genetics Operations Manager
Forest genetics
Northern Research Station
About Kirsten O’ Sullivan
Kirsten has a BSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Aberdeen and an MRes in Biodiversity & Conservation from the University of Leeds. She completed her PhD at the University of Stirling in 2022, investigating the responses of montane forest tree species in Taiwan to climate change.
Kirsten has worked in roles spanning technical scientific research, research portfolio management and science communication, with organisations including the Woodland Trust, CREAF and Heriot-Watt University. She joined Forest Research in June 2025 as Forest Genetics Operations Manager.
What Kirsten does
Kirsten looks after the practical aspects of the tree improvement work at Forest Research. She is responsible for coordinating experimental and practical work with genetic trials, provenance tests and clone banks across Great Britain. This work enables evidence to be gathered to support decision-making on planting stock, woodland creation and forest planning for the future.
Other Publications
O’Sullivan, K.S.W., Ruiz‐Benito, P., Chen, J.C. and Jump, A.S. 2021. Onward but not always upward: individualistic elevational shifts of tree species in subtropical montane forests. Ecography. 44(1), pp.112-123.
O’Sullivan, K.S., Vilà‐Cabrera, A., Chen, J.C., Greenwood, S., Chang, C.H. and Jump, A.S., 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.