Andrea Arratia-Solar

Dr Andrea Arratia-Solar is a Research fellow at the University of Melbourne, working on an ARC Discovery Project examining mining communities across Australia, Chile, and Zambia. In this role, she leads data collection in Chile and Australia and conducts spatial analysis examining mining regions, resource development patterns, and regional economic dynamics, strengthening our understanding of global mineral supply chains and the growing strategic importance of critical minerals.

Andrea is an economic geographer with experience across diverse countries and organisations. Over the past decade, she has worked at the intersection of spatial analysis, socio-economic research, and public policy, examining how institutions, communities, and organisations shape regional development and social and economic outcomes. Andrea holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, graduate studies in Natural Resources Management and Operational Research at The Pennsylvania State University, and a PhD from The University of Queensland, Australia. Andrea’s background combines technical skills in spatial analysis with a solid understanding of regional industry dynamics, social capital, and policy.