Dr Andrea Walton

As a Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader with CSIRO Environment, Dr Andrea Walton specialises in social and behavioural science to support sustainability transitions. Her work informs government planning, policy and programs, industry best practice, and supports communities navigating change.

Andrea has made significant contributions to major CSIRO initiatives, including Circular Economy, Ending Plastic Waste, Towards Net Zero, Hydrogen, Responsible Innovation, and Smart Energy programs. She provides leadership across multidisciplinary teams, including those with expertise in First Nations co-design and community-engaged research, to support informed sustainability decision-making. She has also provided strategic leadership to her research program, fostering a culture of inclusion, wellbeing, collaboration, and scientific excellence.

Her research focuses on circular economy and place-based sustainability transitions, with a strong emphasis on enhancing community wellbeing and resilience in regional contexts. This work requires collaboration with diverse stakeholders and addresses the complex social and institutional dynamics associated with major transitions and place-based change.

Andrea brings deep expertise in contested industries and social acceptability, alongside her work on facilitating transitions to cleaner energy, advancing place-based approaches, reducing material footprints, and finding solutions to legacy wastes. A central theme of her research is understanding the social acceptability of emerging and new-to-Australia industries and technologies, and the implications for sustainable, place-based development—particularly in communities where these developments are contested.

Andrea has extensive experience in mixed methods research approaches. These include qualitative interviewing, focus group, and local community data collection and analysis; quantitative survey development and measurement; conducting local, state-wide, and national surveys; and scenario development and modelling.