Dr Anna Kaksonen leads the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group in the Contaminants and Biotechnology Program in CSIRO Land and Water. She develops biotechnological processes for environmental and industrial applications in the mining, energy, water supply, waste and wastewater treatment industries. Research topics of special interest have included: circular economy, mining biotechnology (e.g. bioleaching, biooxidation, bioprecipitation, bioflotation), bioenergy, bioremediation of contaminated sites, waste/wastewater treatment and resource recovery, and mitigation of microbially caused problems such as biofouling, bioclogging and biocorrosion. She has also applied molecular and culture-based detection and monitoring approaches to microbial communities in natural and engineered environments, and isolated and described of novel microorganisms.