Return to the homepage
  • Library
  • UC Online
  • News
  • Events
  • Maps
  • Staff
  • Work at UC
  • 150 Years
  • Study
    • Study
      • Courses and qualifications
      • Subjects
      • Online learning
      • Arts
      • Business
      • Digital Screen
      • Education
      • Engineering
      • Health
      • Law
      • Science
      • All departments
      • Scholarships
      • Examinations
      • Graduation
      • Graduate School
      • Key dates
      • Publications
      • Study abroad and exchanges
      • Work-Integrated Learning
      • Academic support
      • Special consideration
      • Summer School
      • Transition Programmes
      • Quick Links
      • LEARN
      • Logins
      • Timetables
      • Library
      • Scholarships
      • Transcripts
      • Grading
  • Enrol
    • Enrol at UC
      • Enrolment process
      • Enrolment and Course Dates
      • Admission and University Entrance
      • Identity and citizenship verification
      • International student enrolment
      • PhD and doctoral degree applications
      • Manage your study
      • Fees and funding
      • Student Agreement
      • Change your enrolment
      • Update your contact details
      • Contact Student Services
      • Quick Links
      • Enrol now with myUC
      • Re-enrol now with myUC
      • Qualifications and courses
      • Scholarships
      • Academic Support
      • Transcripts
  • Research
    • Research
      • Become a research student
      • Find a supervisor
      • Support for Researchers
      • Māori Research Partnerships
      • Research Impact
      • Research Institutes and Centres
      • Research specialties
      • Facilities and equipment
      • IP Commercialisation
      • Innovation Jumpstart
      • Ethics Approval
      • UC Research Awards
      • Contact us
      • Quick Links
      • Find an expert
      • Find a supervisor
      • Jobs at UC
      • Ethics Approval
      • Postgraduate forms
      • Library (research)
  • Life
    • Life
      • The campus
      • Facilities
      • Getting around
      • Student life
      • Accommodation
      • Support services
      • Know The Code
      • Sustainability Office
      • UC Students' Association (UCSA)
      • CCR
      • Golden Key
      • Health, safety and wellbeing
      • Life in CHCH
      • Life in NZ
      • Get active
      • Canterbury Card
      • Quick Links
      • UCGo
      • Maps
      • Parking
      • Health Centre
      • UC RecCentre
      • Student events
      • Clubs and societies
  • Support services
    • Support services
      • Finding support
      • Need to talk?
      • Health Services
      • Academic support
      • Assistive technology
      • Accessibility
      • Financial assistance
      • Academic grievances
      • Equity and diversity
      • Parents and whānau
      • Job and careers advice
      • New student support
      • Current student support
      • Postgraduate student support
      • High school student support
      • Adult student support
      • International student support
      • LGBTQI student support
      • Māori student support
      • Pasifika student support
      • Onsite services
      • Quick Links
      • In an emergency
      • Security
      • Raise a concern
      • IT Services
      • Academic Skills Centre
      • Library (support)
      • Contacts
      • Wellbeing Hub
  • Engage
    • Engage
      • Alumni
      • Business and industry
      • Canterbury University Press
      • Communications and Engagement
      • Community partnerships
      • External exam invigilation
      • Find an expert or consultant
      • Giving to UC
      • International partnerships
      • Knowledge Commons
      • News
      • School resources
      • Work at UC
      • Work placements
      • Quick Links
      • Donate to UC
      • Contact UC
      • Current vacancies
      • Erskine Fellowship
      • News
      • Public events
      • Liaison Office
  • About
    • About
      • What is special about UC
      • UC7
      • Ako - Learning & Teaching
      • Governance
      • Leadership
      • Health and Safety
      • Sustainability Hub
      • People and Culture
      • Asset Planning and Delivery
      • History
      • Information and Records Management
      • Ngā Uara | Our Values
      • Contacts
  • Logins
    • Logins
      • LEARN
      • Zoom
      • Student email
      • Staff email
      • myUC
      • My Timetable
      • Canterbury Card Account
      • My Library Account
      • OneDrive
      • UC CareerHub
      • UC Services Portal
      • Password Reset
      • UCGO
      • ourUC
      • Staff logins
      • More logins
Skip to main content
uc-research-profile

Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.

  • UC Research Profile
  • Search
  • Browse
    • Subject areas and disciplines
    • Colleges and departments
  • Administration
    • Email UC Research Profile Administrator
    • Update your UC Research Profile page in Profiler (Staff Only)
  • Quick Links
    • Research at UC

Associate Professor Aisling O'Sullivan

Contact

Department: Civil and Natural Resources Engineering

Email: aisling.osullivan@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3692045

Office: Civil & Natural Resources Engineering Rm E443

Languages: English, French, Gaelic, German

Ecological Engineering/ Pūhanga rauropi solves problems for societies and for the environment by designing solutions based on these reciprocities.
About
Research / Creative works
Supervision
Networks

Fields of Research

  • Clean Water Treatment Technologies
  • Water Quality Monitoring and Modelling
  • Life Cycle Assessment Modelling
  • Engineering Education

Researcher Summary

Aisling O’Sullivan is an Ahorangi Tuarua/Associate Professor and a Kaipūhanga Rauropi/ Ecological Engineer. She leads CELTS (Centre for EcoLogical Technology Solutions, www.CELTS.org.nz) which she founded in 2006 to meet the research gap in Ecological Engineering in Aotearoa New Zealand. CELTS is part of the Department of Civil & Natural Resources Engineering at UC.

Aisling's research interests involve monitoring, modelling and treating non-point source metal and nutrient contaminants that are difficult to remove. Applications have been applied to the urban, mining and rural environments. She currently leads a National Science Challenge cross-disciplinary team 3D-printed water treatment filters fabricated from under-utilised biowastes. Upon the end-of-their design life, these products are regenerated into safe (green) materials that become a new resource.

Complementary research Aisling has led included developing algal-bacterial biomass as a second generation biofuel. She also supervises research on green roof and green wall systems to treat wastewater streams. Aisling's team employ Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modelling tools to measure the environmental impacts of different treatment technologies they develop.

Aisling has supervised >23 PhD and Masters Engineering projects and >29 (team) Honours research projects to completion. She has published >76 full peer-reviewed technical research articles in journals (39), books (5) and conference proceedings(32), with an additional 65 extended abstracts and numerous technical reports. Her research has been widely published and independently validated as outstanding with the award of an A score in the latest PBRF assessment. Her moto is it's 'Eco-Logical' to engineer in partnership with nature.

Subject Area: Disciplines

  • Engineering and Technology: Hydrological and Ecological Engineering; Modelling; Resource/Environment Engineering
  • Environmental Studies: Environmental Science
  • Science & Technology: Science & Technology

Resources

  • LinkedIn
  • Centre for EcoLogical Technology Solutions (CELTS)
  • CELTS
  • Aisling-OSullivan-9x1.jpg
  • Aisling-OSullivan_cropped.jpg

Prizes and Awards

Displaying all items.
    Distinction
  • Patent No. 740976 (Storminator™) ( 2018 - present )
  • National Stormwater Innovation Award (Water New Zealand) ( 2019 - present )
  • Stormwater Superhero Award (Environment Canterbury) ( 2019 - present )
  • Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) Score A ( 2019 - present )
  • 9Wire Environmental Innovation Programme ( 2019 - present )
  • UC Sustainability Award Academic Staff (Highly Commended) ( 2019 - present )
  • Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) Score A ( 2019 - present )

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

(Displaying research/scholarly/creative work for last six years)
Intellectual Property
  • O'Sullivan A., Cochrane T. and Charters F. (2018) A Device for Treating Roof Runoff.Patent No. 740976, New Zealand Patent Application 740976.
Journal Articles
  • Charters F., O'Sullivan A. and Cochrane T. (2022) Influences of zinc loads in urban catchment runoff: roof type, land use type, climate and management strategies. Journal of Environmental Management.
  • Charters FJ., Cochrane TA. and O’Sullivan AD. (2021) The influence of urban surface type and characteristics on runoff water quality. Science of The Total Environment 755: 142470-142478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142470.
  • Charters F., Cochrane T. and O'Sullivan A. (2020) Predicting Event-Based Sediment and Heavy Metal Loads in Untreated Urban Runoff from Impermeable Surfaces. Water 12(4) http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12040969.
  • Uster B., Milke M., Webster-Brown J., O'Sullivan A., Pope J. and Trumm D. (2019) Effect of alkalinity source on mechanisms of iron, manganese and zinc removal from acid mine drainage by sulfate-reducing bioreactors. engrχiv http://dx.doi.org/10.31224/osf.io/yzh9s.
  • Charters F., Cochrane TA. and O'Sullivan AD. (2017) Characterising urban zinc generation to identify surface pollutant hotspots in a low intensity rainfall climate. Water Science and Technology 76(6) WST-EM161777R1: 1370-1377. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2017.306.
Conference Contributions - Published
  • Bilek F., Cochrane T., Charters F., O'Sullivan A. and Hannah M. (2021) Variation in performance of media based stormwater treatment systems. In In: Proceedings of the 2021 Stormwater Conference, Water New Zealand, Tauranga, New Zealand.
Other
  • Charters F., Cochrane T. and O'Sullivan A. (2021) The influence of urban surface type and characteristics on runoff water quality. Water May/June 2021(219): 62-66. Auckland, New Zealand: Contrafed Publishing.
  • O'Sullivan A. (2021) UC Engineer spearheads $3m next-gen tech project to clean NZ water. Water March/April 2021(218): 26-26. Auckland, New Zealand: Contrafed Publishing.
  • O'Sullivan A., Huber T. and Bello Mendoza R. (2021) Engineering new ways to treat dirty water. Our Changing World Science Podcast https://tinyurl.com/3j6jtb2w: Radio New Zealand. [Radio].
Conference Contributions - Published
  • O'Sullivan A., Hansen S., Maranan J., Cochrane T. and Charters F. (2020) The Storminator™ - A Retrofittable, sustainable, stormwater solution for treating metal roof runoff. In Proceedings of the 2020 Stormwater Conference, Water New Zealand, Tauranga, New Zealand, August 26-28, 2020..
  • Bilek F., Cochrane T., Charters F., O'Sullivan A. and Hannah M. (2019) Characterising load, treatment and monitoring as sources of variability in stormwater treatment devices. In Proceedings of the 2019 Stormwater Conference, New Zealand Water Association, Auckland, New Zealand, May 1-3, 2019.
  • O'Sullivan A., Cochrane T. and Charters F. (2019) The Storminator™ - a retrofit and sustainable stormwater treatment solution. In Proceedings of the 2019 Stormwater Conference, Water New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, 1-3 May 2019..
  • Charters F., Cochrane T. and O'Sullivan A. (2017) Temporal Variations in Surface-Specific Stormwater Pollutant Loads. In Proceedings of the 4th IWA/IAHR Congress on Urban Drainage 10-15 Sept. 2017, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • Charters F., O'Sullivan AD. and Cochrane T. (2017) Inline pond treatment performance and longitudinal instream monitoring in a stormwater-affected urban waterway. In http://stormwaterconference.org.nz/: 11. Water New Zealand.
Conference Contributions - Other
  • Bilek F., Cochrane T., Charters F., O'Sullivan A. and Hannah M. (2021) Sources of Efficiency Variability Within Mussel-Shell Media Based Stormwater Treatment Systems. Melbourne, Australia: 15th International Conference on Urban Drainage, 1 Oct 2021.
  • Bilek F., Cochrane T., Charters F., O'Sullivan A. and Hannah M. (2020) Treatment performance variability in two at-source stormwater treatment systems. Christchurch, New Zealand: 2020 Waterways Postgraduate Conference, 11 Nov 2020.
  • O'Sullivan A., de Vries T. and Rodprasert B. (2020) Waste resources as an engineered substrate in extensive green roof systems. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Postgraduate Waterways Conference, 11 Nov 2020.
  • O'Sullivan A., Larcher S., Pratchett S. and Edwards D. (2020) Feasibility of waste mussel shells as engineered living roof substrate component. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Postgraduate Waterways Conference, 11 Nov 2020.
  • O'Sullivan A., Nilsson A., Bello Mendoza R. and Masten S. (2020) Anaerobic pond treatment of pig farm effluent in New Zealand: exploring opportunities for enhanced performance. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Postgraduate Waterways Conference, 11 Nov 2020.
  • Skews R., Webster-Brown J., Charters F., Cochrane T. and O'Sullivan A. (2020) Get them outta here! How dissolved Cu and Zn are filtered out of stormwater by waste seashells. University of Canterbury: 2020 Waterways Postgraduate Conference, 11 Nov 2020.
  • Skews R., Webster-Brown J., Charters F., Cochrane T. and O'Sullivan A. (2019) What’s the attraction? The hold a mussel shell can have over a heavy metal. Christchurch, New Zealand: 2019 Canterbury Postgraduate Waterways Conference, 19 Nov 2019.
  • Charters F., Cochrane TA. and O'Sullivan AD. (2017) Temporal Variations in Surface-Specific Stormwater Pollutant Loads. Prague, Czech Republic: 4th IWA/IAHR Congress on Urban Drainage, 10-15 Sep 2017.
Reports
  • O'Sullivan A. (2020) Water Quality Treatment of Roof Runoff using Storminators™ in the Addington and Okeover Catchments.University of Canterbury. Commissioned by Environment Canterbury. 16.
  • O'Sullivan A. and Cochrane T. (2018) Review of the “Assessment of Current and Future Stormwater Contaminant Load for Christchurch. CLM modelling report – Best Practice Infrastructure”.University of Canterbury. Commissioned by Environment Canterbury.
  • O'Sullivan A. and Cochrane TA. (2017) Analysis of Water Quality and Flow Data for the Addington Catchment (2015-2016). In Analysis of Water Quality and Flow Data for the Addington Catchment (2015-2016), University of Canterbury. Commissioned by Environment Canterbury.
  • O'Sullivan A., Charters F. and Cochrane T. (2017) Zinc removal from hardstand stormwater runoff at the CSP Coating Systems Plant (Christchurch). In Zinc removal from hardstand stormwater runoff at the CSP Coating Systems Plant (Christchurch), University of Canterbury. Commissioned by CSP. 23.
  • O'Sullivan AD., Cochrane TA. and Charters F. (2017) Stormwater Contaminant Load Monitoring (2016) and Modelling of the Heathcote Catchment and Six Representative Subcatchments. In Stormwater Contaminant Load Monitoring (2016) and Modelling of the Heathcote Catchment and Six Representative Subcatchments, University of Canterbury. Commissioned by Christchurch City Council. 44.

Student Supervision

Displaying items from 2004 - 2021.
    Current
  • PhD - Bilek F: Investigation of the Variable Efficiencies of Stormwater Treatment Systems
  • PhD - Columbus HE: Life Cycle Assessment Modelling of Clean Water Technologies
  • Masters - Patchett S: Assessing Performance of Fish Passage Design for New Zealand Native Fish Species
  • Completed
  • PhD - Charters F: Characterising and modelling urban runoff quality for improved stormwater management (2016)
  • PhD - McCauley C: Engineered Wetlands for Passive Treatment of Complex Mine Waste Waters (2010)
  • PhD - Murphy LU: Quantifying Spatial and Temporal Deposition of Atmospheric Pollutants in Runoff from Different Pavement Type (2015)
  • PhD - Taulis M: Groundwater Extraction and Disposal Modelling for Coal bed Methane (2007)
  • PhD - Uster B: The use of waste mussel shell in sulfate-reducing bioreactors treating mine-influenced waters (2015)
  • PhD - Valigore J: Algae for Wastewater Treatment and Concurrent Biofuel Production (2011)
  • Masters - Charters F: A dynamic GIS stormwater model for older urban catchments (2014)
  • Masters - Good J: Monitoring and Modelling Water Quality Treatment and Hydraulic Efficacy of Rain Gardens (2011)
  • Masters - Rodprasert B: Living roofs to treat adjacent roof runoff using waste media substrates (2021)
  • Masters - Skews R: Mechanisms of heavy metal removal from stormwater by mussel shells (2021)
  • Masters - Wadworth-Watts H: Modelling the Hydrology of the Lake Clearwater Catchment (2012)
  • Masters - Wheeler J: Hydrodynamic Modelling and Quantification of Available Habitat in Constructed Wetland Wildlife Reserves (2010)
  • Masters - Zhou Y: Modelling Retention Times in Constructed Wetlands (2006)
  • Masters - Bougard S: Hydraulic efficiency of urban infiltration systems (2010)

Review and Refereeing

  • Ecological Engineering ( 2000 - 2005)

Research Groups

  • Hydrological and Ecological Engineering
  • Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management
UC Library
Research & Innovation
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Research & Innovation Admin
Phone +64 3 369 5858
admin@research.canterbury.ac.nz
Research Profile Administrator
pbrfprofileradmin@canterbury.ac.nz
Back to top
  • GENERAL ENQUIRIES
  • +64 3 369 3999
  • info@canterbury.ac.nz
  • ENROLMENT ENQUIRIES
  • 0800 VARSITY (0800 827 748)
  • enrol@canterbury.ac.nz
  • INTERNATIONAL ENQUIRIES
  • +64 3 364 3443
  • (Aus) 1-800-431595
  • Ask a question
  • CONTACTS & DIRECTORIES
  • University contacts
  • Student contacts
  • Students' Association
  • Find a researcher (Research Profile)
  • Accommodation
  • Maps
  • Donate online
  • UC on Facebook
  • UC on Twitter
  • UC on youTube
  • UC on Instagram
  • UC on Snapchat
  • UC on LinkedIn
  • UC on WeChat
  • DEPARTMENTS
  • All departments
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Health
  • Law
  • Science
  • Service areas
  • LATEST
  • News
  • Events
  • Publications
  • Work at UC
  • Info for media
  • Style Guide
  • TOOLS
  • LEARN
  • UC Policy Library
  • Library
  • myUC
  • IT account
  • Student email
  • OneDrive
  • Timetable
  • Staff email
  • Intranet (Staff)
  • Copyright Feedback Privacy Cookies Declaration Payment Data
  • Emergency Information
  • © University of Canterbury - A Fair Trade University