In a speech to scientists at the annual Science Meets Parliament event held in Canberra today, Dr Marshall said scientists had a responsibility to share their work and get it 'off the lab bench'.
Science Meets Parliament is designed to foster relationships and understanding between scientists and technologists, MPs and Senators.
"Science has the power to inspire all people - politicians, scientists, business people, everyone, to think differently and we need different thinking to navigate this uncertain and rapidly changing future," Dr Marshall said in his keynote speech.
"We (scientists) all have the same responsibility that comes with the power to innovate. Responsibility to get our science off the lab bench and into the world where it makes people's lives better. To share our science in a way that resonates and does take the responsibility for creating our own future."
Dr Marshall said while research may be innovative, it also has to have a "human" element which in turn can lead to huge social and economic change.
"CSIRO's best work in my opinion isn't just scientifically innovative but it's also socially innovative and it's important because if the solution doesn't change people's lives, it doesn't matter, and it doesn't work," he said.
Dr Marshall underlined the role of CSIRO in tackling Australia's biggest challenges and helping to predict the future.
"Everything that CSIRO does must ultimately make life better for Australians and hopefully the world otherwise we wouldn't have a social license to operate."
In September 2016 CSIRO launched its Future Science Platforms with the aim of helping reinvent and create new industries for Australia. The platforms, which include hydrogen and deep earth imaging, will see CSIRO grow a new generation of researchers and allow Australia to attract the best students and experts to work on future science.
