Siobhan O'Sullivan

Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan is a senior lecturer in social policy in the School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork (UCC) where she is the deputy director of the Higher Diploma in Social Policy (online), and coordinator of the Bachelor in Social Science International. From 2012 to 2023, she was Director of the PhD Social Sciences doctoral programme. She holds a doctorate in Sociology from UCC and a Masters from the University of Essex, UK. She is a research associate of the Institute for Social Science in the 21st century (ISS21) at UCC, which promotes interdisciplinary research. Committed to community outreach and engagement, she is also a member of the Cork Learning Cities Learning Lab research group as part of Cork UNESCO Learning City. 

Her research interests and expertise are in the areas of community based participatory research with adults and children, mixed methods research, housing, regeneration, climate change and sustainability, widening educational participation, tackling social inequalities. She has supervised a number of PhDs to completion and is interested in supervising students in any area of relevance to her research interests and publication profile. 

Her research aims to work creatively with communities on key social policy issues and has been funded by a range of organisations including European funders, Research Ireland, Cork City Council, government departments, and community and non-governmental organisations. Ongoing and recent research projects that she leads and collaborates on include:

• 'GreenIn Cities' funded by Horizon Europe (2024-27), focusing on collaborative climate mitigation, adaptation, and innovative greening solutions in deprived areas and areas of urban regeneration (with co-PI Dr Martin Galvin, Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation, UCC).
• 'ReGasIn', funded under the Research Ireland – Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Challenge (2026-27) on stakeholder co-created scenario modelling of renewable gases for future integrated energy systems in Ireland (PI Dr Subhash Kumar, The International Energy Research Centre, Tyndall National Institute)
• 'BioEInsights', funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2025-27) to examine stakeholders perceptions on bioenergy in Ireland (PI Dr Padraig Lyons, The International Energy Research Centre, Tyndall National Institute)
• A longitudinal evaluation 'A Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact study of Cork City Northwest Regeneration' (2014-24) (co-PI Prof Cathal O'Connell, Applied Social Studies), and 'A Participatory Study of the education and employment needs of young people in Cork City Northwest' (2023-24), both funded by Cork City Council.
• Evaluator for two science participation projects funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme: 'Ireland's Fossil Heritage' (PI Prof Maria McNamara, BEES, 2021-25) and 'Fossils for our Future: Ireland's palaeontology participation programme' (PI Dr Chris Mays, BEES, 2022-23).
• Since 2020, she has led four projects as PI in rural areas of Ireland including two projects that were the first to document the housing crisis on Ireland's offshore islands: a 2021 Irish Research Council New Foundations project 'Housing and Sustaining Communities on the West Cork Islands', with Bere Island Projects Group and other community groups on the West Cork islands, and a 2022 'All-Ireland Island Survey', with Comhar na nOileán and Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Other projects have included 'Assessing the education and training needs of migrant women in rural Ireland', funded by the Irish Country Women's Association (ICA) in 2023, and a 2020 Irish Research Council New Foundations project 'Agency and ageing in place in rural Ireland', with Age Action.

She teaches social research methods and social policy at undergraduate and postgraduate levels including to the Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Social Science Youth and Community Work, and Higher Diploma in Social Policy (Online), on the following modules:

• SS2108 Introduction to Research Methods
• SS3006 Education and Welfare
• SS3031 Social Research Report
• SS5104 Social Research Report online
• SS5107 Education and Welfare online
• SS5108 Poverty and Social Exclusion online

She also contributes to a university wide module, to the Masters in Social Policy and Social Justice (online), and to the Doctor of Social Sciences  (DSocSc), including the following modules:

• UW0005 Sustainability
• PD6105 Housing, Social Change and Community Needs
• SS6813 Dissertation in Social Policy and Social Justice
• SS6815 Sustainability, Climate Justice and Eco-Social Policies
• SS6817 Childhood, Youth and Society
• SS7005 Research Methods and Skills 2: Quantitative