Kathryn O'Sullivan

Dr O€Sullivan€s primary research interests lie in the area of family law, property law and succession law. She has conducted considerable comparative research analysing the various family property schemes which apply in a number of jurisdictions while a relationship subsists, on death and on relationship breakdown. Kathryn has also diversified her research into related family law fields and has investigated the legal protections afforded to minority religions.Finally, Kathryn formed part of a team, led by colleagues in University College Cork, which obtained competitive national funding in 2015 to the value of €25,000 for a focused research project entitled: 'Teaching for Transitions: A Review of Teaching for Transitions related to Teaching and Learning Activity and Research'.

Kathryn has a keen interest in teaching and learning. She completed a Specialist Diploma in Teaching, Learning and Scholarship in 2014, graduating with First Class Honours, and was recognised with the University's 'Excellence in Teaching Award 2018' having previously received a Special Commendation for Excellence in Teaching in 2015. She has secured national funding from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education on two occasions. She formed part of a team which received funding of €25,000 in 2015 to conduct a focused research project entitled: 'Teaching for Transitions: A Review of Teaching for Transitions related to Teaching and Learning Activity and Research' (available to download). In 2015, she, along with two colleagues, also secured National Forum funding to hold a one-day workshop entitled €Legal Pedagogy in Transition€. Moreover, Kathryn obtained a Teaching Development Grant from the University of Limerick to conduct research with International/Erasmus Law students and run a series of Legal English workshops to support such students.

Dr Kathryn O Sullivan is an Associate Professor at the School of Law, University of Limerick, Ireland. Kathryn s primary research interest lies in the laws governing family property and finances. She has published widely in highly respected national and international journals (including Legal Studies, the International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family and the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law) and has provided expert analysis of legal issues for national media outlets including RTÉ Radio 1 and the Irish Times. In terms of impact, she was invited in 2022 to provide expert evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee of the UK Parliament on the issue of cohabitants rights while her work has also been cited in the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Canada (Venables v Venables [2019] BCCA 291) and by the Law Reform Commission of Ireland. She is the Corresponding Member for Ireland with the Cambridge Family Law Centre at the University of Cambridge and was selected as a Dobbin Atlantic Scholar for 2017/18 by the Ireland Canada University Foundation. Kathryn was recognised with the University of Limerick's 'Excellence in Teaching Award 2018' having twice been shortlisted in 2012 and 2015.