Larelle McMillan
Research Director – Sustainability, CSIRO Agriculture & Food
With a focus on impactful scientific research to catalyse sustainability transitions in the agri-food system, Larelle leads a large team of researchers in the Sustainability program in CSIRO’s Agriculture and Food business unit. The Sustainability program delivers pathways & technologies to catalyse Sustainability transitions in the Agri-Food System by:
- evaluating benefits & trade-offs on the environment, Supply chains & Communities;
- building national data capability, frameworks & metrics to support informed action and markets;
- Anticipating & modelling of system trajectories and risk disruptions to provide mitigation & adaptation strategies
- Brokering knowledge and deep transdisciplinary partnerships for collective stakeholder value and new patterns of collaboration to unlock future value
Larelle has contributed to national and globally significant projects in the area of complex monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), growing the area of sustainability-focussed science while building a pipeline of investment across programs.
She has 20 years’ experience working in environmental and agricultural fields. Larelle has an extensive breadth of knowledge across a wide range of agrifood system science and policy domains including natural resource management, ecological values and natural processes, Indigenous knowledge systems in northern Australia, biodiversity, water and climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and industry sustainability related issues, value chain dynamics, as well as food and nutritional security.In recent years, Larelle’s research management and project leadership has been predominantly in international research for development with a focus on smallholder production systems, the role of markets, gender, power dynamics and institutional issues related to achieving food and nutritional security outcomes. As a Research Impact Broker – Larelle focussed on building relationships and partnerships for research impact. Her mix of research leadership, project management, partnership brokering, and communication skills are utilised across a range of agrifood and agrifibre initiatives.
Larelle has a Bachelor of Arts from QUT, Bachelor of Environmental Science from University of the Sunshine Coast, and a Masters in Rural Development from the University of Queensland.