Dr Rini Astuti is a Senior Lecturer/Fellow at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS), College of Systems and Society, at the Australian National University. Her research sits at the intersection of climate and environmental governance, the social dimensions of energy transitions, and critical minerals development, drawing on human geography – particularly from political ecology, science and technology studies, and development studies frameworks and theories. Grounded empirically in Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia) and Australia, her work examines how place-based politics, actor agencies, and justice dynamics shape the outcomes of climate, environment and energy transition policies

Rini’s current research centres on two interconnected areas. She leads an international research program under the Centre for Future Materials on plural values and ethical copper supply chains (2026–2029), in partnership with the University of British Columbia, Imperial College London, and the University of the Witwatersrand. She is also Lead CI on a project funded by the Open Society Foundation (2025–2028), titled:  “Reimagining Circularity: Critical Minerals and Energy Transitions in Indonesia”. This project examines the socio-environmental justice dimensions of Indonesia’s rapidly expanding mineral sector in collaboration with the Asia Research Centre at Universitas Indonesia. Both projects reflect her broader commitment to ensuring that scientific and policy frameworks for the energy transition are grounded in the lived realities of affected communities.

Rini also contributes as Co-Investigator to two collaborative projects that extend her work into new empirical and socio-technical terrain. As part of the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials, she is Co-CI on a project titled: “Building a First Nations Research Agenda,”. This project developed in partnership with Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma communities in the Pilbara to examine the modernisation of agreements between Indigenous communities and mining companies, foregrounding Indigenous rights and self-determination in the governance of resource extraction. She is also Co-CI on “Addressing the Resilience of Indo-Pacific Alkaline Electrolysers,” a multi-institutional consortium led by the University of Sydney and funded through the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Supply Chain Diversification Program. This project brings together partners across Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, French Polynesia, and Vietnam to develop resilient nickel supply chains and advance green hydrogen technology in the Indo-Pacific.

Rini’s broader funding portfolio draw from diverse funding schemes including the British Academy, KONEKSI–DFAT, ARC Linkage, the United Nations University, and Indonesia’s national research agency. From 2021 to 2022, she led a work package as Co-Chief Investigator on a British Academy-funded project on the just transition in the Asia Pacific, investigating rural communities’ roles in realising inclusive decarbonisation in Indonesia’s agricultural sector. She has also served as Co-CI on three DFAT-funded projects on gender and climate adaptation, climate-resilient development, and food security in Indonesia.

Central to Rini’s approach is a commitment to public and transdisciplinary engagement — connecting research to the communities, institutions, and policy debates that matter most. She has published over 30 pieces in non-traditional outlets including The Conversation, The Jakarta Post, and ANU’s New Mandala. She has served as a scientific advisor for two award-winning documentary films on Indigenous land rights and climate change. Before joining CPAS in 2023, Rini held academic positions at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore, and the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.

• International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), US Department of State, 2025 - Invitation-only program recognising emerging leaders with demonstrated influence in public policy and international engagement (declined due to overlapping commitment).
• Global Public Voices Fellowship, 2021–2022 - Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell University.
• APEC Women in Research Fellowship, 2019 - Recognising emerging female scientists from APEC economies, supported by APEC economies and the Australian Government.