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Dr Kate O'Sullivan
Teams and roles for Kate O'Sullivan
Research Associate
Overview
Working as part of the BuildZero research programme, I am exploring with members of the public, and policy, industry and third sector stakeholders how a circular economy of UK buildings might be achieved in ways that meet desirable socio-cultural, economic and material outcomes by 2050. Using a backcasting methodology we are developing visions of possible BuildZero futures and are then co-creating pathways to identify the actions needed to realise these visions.
I have previously worked as part of the Greenhouse Gas Removal by Enhanced Rock Weathering project (ERW), contributing to knowledge of the social and ethical conditions for deployment of new and unfamiliar carbon dioxide removal approaches in the UK. During this research I developed novel tools to co-create representations of place, ethical concerns around MRV, governance systems and environmental impacts with communities likely to be impacted by ERW if deployed. Prior to this I worked as part of the Active Building Centre Research Programme, exploring lived experiences of new and novel low and zero carbon homes in Wales. Through unpacking the perspectives of the housing developers, emplaced communities and new residents, this research has elucidated how such developments are subject to, and can inform, placemaking processes. In this way they hold potential to evolve with existing community attachments to place, contribute to identity, as well as addressing local and societal scale concerns for climate change.
My background is in human geography and my research interests centre around the relational and multi-scale interplay between humans and environment, and the implications for how places are understood and experienced. My research has included the exploration of decarbonisation for peripheral communities in Wales which with a focus on energy and spatial justice. This work highlighted connections between spatial structures and the distribution of costs and benefits of decarbonisation.
Publication
2025
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2025. Who pays for carbon dioxide removal? Public perceptions of risk and fairness of enhanced rock weathering in the UK.. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 12 1010. (10.1057/s41599-025-05384-9)
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2025. Understanding residents’ experiences of home, health, and wellbeing in new and novel low carbon homes. Housing Studies (10.1080/02673037.2025.2453015)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2025. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else”: A qualitative longitudinal view of low carbon home residence. Housing, Theory and Society (10.1080/14036096.2025.2559106)
2024
- Hale, R. et al. 2024. ‘It’s nice to have a bit of fresh air’: Interpretative flexibility and air quality regimes in active homes. Energy and Buildings
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2024. The role of Active Buildings in Smart Energy Imaginaries: Implications of living well in low carbon homes and neighbourhoods. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low‐Carbon Future. Wiley. , pp.93-110. (10.1002/9781118641156.ch6)
2023
- Henwood, K. et al. 2023. Living well in low carbon homes project report. Project Report.Self-publish.
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2023. Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 5 1139029. (10.3389/frsc.2023.1139029)
2022
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2022. Why active buildings? Realising the potentials of energy networked homes: a social scientific perspective. In: Vahidinasab, V. and Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo, eds. Active Building Energy Systems. Green Energy and Technology , pp.25-49. (10.1007/978-3-030-79742-3_2)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. From active houses to active homes: understanding resident experiences of transformational design and social innovation. Energies 15 (19) 7441. (10.3390/en15197441)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. Transformational innovation in home energy: How developers imagine and engage with future residents of low carbon homes in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 91 102743.
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. Living in an active home: household dynamics and unintended consequences. Buildings and Cities 3 (1), pp.589–604. (10.5334/bc.216)
2020
- Golubchikov, O. and O'Sullivan, K. 2020. Energy periphery: uneven development and the precarious geographies of low-carbon transition. Energy and Buildings 211 109818. (10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109818)
- O'Sullivan, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
- O'Sullivan, K. , Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Active buildings in the changing policy landscape: conceptual challenges and social scientific perspectives. Project Report.Cardiff University.
2019
- O'Sullivan, K. 2019. Uneven geographies of low-carbon transition: exploring energy vulnerabilities in peripheral communities. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Articles
- Golubchikov, O. and O'Sullivan, K. 2020. Energy periphery: uneven development and the precarious geographies of low-carbon transition. Energy and Buildings 211 109818. (10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109818)
- Hale, R. et al. 2024. ‘It’s nice to have a bit of fresh air’: Interpretative flexibility and air quality regimes in active homes. Energy and Buildings
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2025. Who pays for carbon dioxide removal? Public perceptions of risk and fairness of enhanced rock weathering in the UK.. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 12 1010. (10.1057/s41599-025-05384-9)
- O'Sullivan, K. , Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2023. Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 5 1139029. (10.3389/frsc.2023.1139029)
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2025. Understanding residents’ experiences of home, health, and wellbeing in new and novel low carbon homes. Housing Studies (10.1080/02673037.2025.2453015)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. From active houses to active homes: understanding resident experiences of transformational design and social innovation. Energies 15 (19) 7441. (10.3390/en15197441)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. Transformational innovation in home energy: How developers imagine and engage with future residents of low carbon homes in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 91 102743.
- Shirani, F. et al. 2022. Living in an active home: household dynamics and unintended consequences. Buildings and Cities 3 (1), pp.589–604. (10.5334/bc.216)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2025. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else”: A qualitative longitudinal view of low carbon home residence. Housing, Theory and Society (10.1080/14036096.2025.2559106)
Book sections
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2024. The role of Active Buildings in Smart Energy Imaginaries: Implications of living well in low carbon homes and neighbourhoods. In: Golubchikov, O. and Yenneti, K. eds. Smart Cities, Energy and Climate: Governing Cities for a Low‐Carbon Future. Wiley. , pp.93-110. (10.1002/9781118641156.ch6)
- O'Sullivan, K. et al. 2022. Why active buildings? Realising the potentials of energy networked homes: a social scientific perspective. In: Vahidinasab, V. and Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo, eds. Active Building Energy Systems. Green Energy and Technology , pp.25-49. (10.1007/978-3-030-79742-3_2)
Monographs
- Henwood, K. et al. 2023. Living well in low carbon homes project report. Project Report.Self-publish.
- O'Sullivan, K. , Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Active buildings in the changing policy landscape: conceptual challenges and social scientific perspectives. Project Report.Cardiff University.
Thesis
- O'Sullivan, K. 2019. Uneven geographies of low-carbon transition: exploring energy vulnerabilities in peripheral communities. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
My research interests are on the interplay between environmental, spatial and energy justice. I am concerned with how the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources is influenced by various economic, political and socio-spatial structures and how this manifests geographically. Research in this area is increasingly important as decarbonisation progresses and opportunities are presented that could enable emerging systems and structures become more just. My PhD research (2015-20) has highlighted the connections between political power, recognition, socio-economic development and the distribution of costs and benefits emerging from low carbon transition.
Biography
Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Shirani, F., O'Sullivan, K. and Hale, R. 2023. Living well in low carbon homes project report. Project Report. Self-publish.
O'Sullivan, K., Shirani, F., Hale, R., Pidgeon, N. and Henwood, K. 2023. Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 5 (10.3389/frsc.2023.1139029)
O'Sullivan, K., Shirani, F., Hale, R., Pidgeon, N., and Henwood, K. 2023. New communities and new values? Exploring the role of green spaces in low carbon neighbourhoods. Architecture, Media, Politics and Society. Cultures, Community and Design, [Online], Calgary Canada, June 28-30. Available: Amps-Proceedings-Series-30..pdf (amps-research.com)
Shirani, F., O'Sullivan, K., Hale, R., Pidgeon, N., and Henwood, K. 2022. From Active Houses to Active Homes: Understanding Resident Experiences of Transformational Design and Social Innovation. Energies 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15197441
Shirani, F., O'Sullivan, K., Henwood, K., Hale, R., and Pidgeon, N. 2022. Living in an Active Home: Houshold dynamics and unintended consiquences. Buildings and cities, 3(1), pp. 589-604. https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.216
Shirani, F., O'Sullivan, K., Hale. R., Pidgeon, N., and Henwood, K. 2022. Transformational innovation in home energy: How developers imagine and engage with future residents of low carbon homes in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and social science. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102743
O'Sullivan, K., Shirani, F., Pidgeon, N., and Henwood, K. 2022. Why Active Buildings? Realising the potentials of energy networked homes: A social scientific perspective. In: Vahidinasab, V., Mohammadi-Ivatloo, B. (eds) Active Building Energy Systems Operation and Control. Springer: Nottingham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79742-3_2
O'Sullivan, K., Henwood, K., and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Active Buildings in a changing policy landscape: conceptual challanges and sociel scientific perspectives. Active Building Centre Research Programme White Paper Series. Avaiable at: https://abc-rp.com/impact/white-papers/
O'Sullivan, K., Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138, article number: 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
Golubchikov, O. and O'Sullivan, K. 2020. Energy periphery: uneven development and the precarious geographies of low-carbon transition. Energy and Buildings (10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109818)
Marquand, J., O’ Sullivan, K., & Pearce, S. 2019. Factors influencing local and community engagement in renewable energy in Wales. Cardiff: The Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods for the Institute of Welsh Affairs. (final project report available at: https://www.iwa.wales/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IWA_Energy_WP6_Digital-2.pdf)