Dr Anna Kaksonen

Pronouns: she,her,hers

Senior Principal Research Scientist: Bio- and Environmental Technologies

https://people.csiro.au/K/A/Anna-Kaksonen

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PO BOX 7229
KARAWARA WA 6152 AUSTRALIA

Biography

Dr Anna Kaksonen is a Senior Principal Research Scientist and Acting Team Leader for Green Resource Recovery Team in CSIRO Environment, Industry Environments (IE) Program.

Anna develops innovative technologies and enabling solutions to reduce waste and pollution, treat and valorise waste and remediate polluted environments. To support the move towards a more circular economy, and reduce the impacts of pollution and waste, she and her team experimentally develop and optimise bio- and environmental technologies for:

Sustainable resource extraction and the production of and bio-based commodities,
Recovery of resources (materials and energy) from solid and liquid wastes streams,
Waste treatment to mitigate risks caused by waste disposal, and
Remediation and rehabilitation of contaminated environments affected by waste and pollution

Along with experimental technology development, she also generates knowledge and develops enabling solutions to support decision making, and policy and regulatory development.

Examples of Anna's research experience include:

Waste reduction technologies:

Biomining for sustainable extraction of critical and strategic minerals from low grade ores to reduce energy and chemical consumption
Production of biofuels as sustainable alternative for fossil fuels
Sustainable production of precursors for bio-based commodities such as bioplastics

Waste valorisation technologies:
- Bioleaching of mining and post-consumer wastes for extracting critical and strategic minerals
- Recovering resources from industrial and municipal effluents and mine drainage
- Recovering energy and nutrients from waste streams

Waste mitigation technologies:
- Degrading organic contaminants in wastes before disposal
- Removing inorganic contaminants from wastes before disposal

Environmental remediation and rehabilitation technologies:
- Degrading organic contaminants present in environmental matrices
- Removing inorganic contaminants present in environmental matrices
- Capturing CO2 from atmosphere through microbial mineral carbonation
- Technologies for stabilising contaminated environments

Enabling solutions:
- Techno-economic analysis to determine the economic feasibility of various technologies
- Evaluating opportunities for increasing circularity and industrial symbiosis
- Generating knowledge for informing policy and regulatory development
- Creating decision-making frameworks to support the selection of technologies for various applications.

Fields of expertise:

Anna' fields of expertise include industrial and environmental biotechnology and microbiology, molecular biology, environmental engineering, soil and environmental chemistry, environmental policy, and techno-economic analysis.

Her research has improved the sustainability of mining, energy, water supply, waste and wastewater treatment industries.

Research topics of special interest have included: mining biotechnology (e.g. bioleaching, biooxidation, bioprecipitation, bioflotation), bioenergy, bioremediation of contaminated sites, waste/wastewater treatment and resource recovery, circular economy 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 novel microorganisms.

Examples of current activities:
- Biomining of critical minerals from low-grade ores that would be considered uneconomic for traditional metallurgical processing
- Bioleaching and biorecovery of metals from electronic wastes
- Biotechnical treatment of and resource recovery from acidic and neutral mine drainage
- Carbon capture through microbial processes and utilisation of mine wastes for microbial mineral carbonation
- Algae-based technologies for sustainable mine site applications (e.g. mine water treatment, mine waste stabilisation, mine site rehabilitation or dust suppression) and creation of algae-based supply chains for post-mining futures
- Algae-based bioplastics production

Publications:

Author of >210 peer-reviewed research papers, 10 book chapters, 4 editorials, 110 client reports and >200 conference publications and presentations.

Web of Science ResearcherID: C-4319-2011, https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/265115

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=czzNvvoAAAAJ&hl=en

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2756-1874

ReseachGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna-Kaksonen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-h-kaksonen-28541b4/

Professional Areas

Academic Qualifications

1999

MSc (Major subject: Environmental Science and Policy, Minor subjects: Microbiology, Limnology, Soil and Environmental Chemistry, and Basic Development Studies)
University of Helsinki
2001

MSc in Engineering (Major subject: Environmental Biotechnology, Minor subject: Water and Waste Engineering)
Tampere University of Technology
2004

Doctor of Technology (Major subject: Environmental Biotechnology, Minor subject: Environmental Technology)
Tampere University of Technology
2008

Teacher’s pedagogical qualification
Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Teacher Education Centre, Finland

Professional Experiences

June 1999-August 1999

Research Assistant
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
September 1999-December 2004

Researcher
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
January 2005-April 2009

Senior Researcher
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
May 2009-September 2017

Team Leader - Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology
CSIRO
May 2009-June 2011

Senior Research Scientist
CSIRO
July 2011-June 2016

Principal Research Scientist
CSIRO
September 2017-February 2024

Group Leader - Industrial Biotechnology (Formerly called Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology)
CSIRO
July 2016-Present

Senior Principal Research Scientist
CSIRO
March 2026-Present

Acting Team Leader for Green Resource Recovery
CSIRO

Achievements and Awards

2000-2000

Award for best poster presentation
The 4th Valamo Conference on Environmental Health and Risk Assessment 13-16.9.2000, Valamo monastery, Heinävesi, Finland
2003-2004

Best doctoral thesis in environmental sciences during the years 2003-2004 in Finland
Finnish Society for Environmental Science
2004-2004

Best doctoral thesis in Technology in Finland in 2004
Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (Tekniikan Akateemisten Liitto, TEK) and Technical Association in Finland (Tekniska Förening in Finland, TFiF)
2014-2014

Excellence in Research and Innovation Award for "Managed aquifer recharge and stormwater use options (MARSUO)" project team
Stormwater Australia
2020- 2020

Western Australian R&D Excellence Award - awarded to the project team exploring "Naegleria fowleri in drinking water distribution systems"
Australian Water Association
2024-2024

CSIRO Environment Caring for colleagues award - awarded to the Environment Research Unit Perth-based team responsible for successful relocation of IE staff/equipment/resources from Floreat to Waterford
CSIRO
2025-2025

Outstanding Research Communication Award - Project team 3.15 exploring "Algae-based technologies for improved environmental outcomes and sustainable post-mining futures"
Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME)
2025-2025

Western Australian R&D Excellence Award - awarded to the "Safeguarding Water Quality through Predictive Pathogen Management" project team
Australian Water Association
2026-2026

Australian National R&D Excellence Award - awarded to the "Safeguarding Water Quality through Predictive Pathogen Management" project team
Australian Water Association and Water Research Australia

Other highlights

2001-2002

Visiting Researcher at CSIRO (1.5 years)
2003-2004

Visiting Researcher at Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ), Germany (3 months)
2007-2007

Microbiologist on the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 315 on Chikyu, scientific drilling vessel, Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone, offshore the Kii Peninsula in Japan (5 weeks)
2007-2012

Docent in Environmental Biotechnology, Tampere University of Technology, Finland
2008-2008

Visiting Researcher at Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) (3 months)
2009-2016

Member of Science Committee of Australia-New Zealand Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Consortium (ANZIC)
2011-Present

Member of the International Scientific Committee of International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium
2014-2016

Guest Editor for Special Issue of Minerals: Advances in Biohydrometallurgy
2014-Present

Adjunct Research Associate at University of Western Australia
2015-2016

Guest Editor for International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium (IBS) 2015 Special Issue published in Hydrometallurgy
2015-2018

Member of Curtin Water Quality Research Centre Advisory Board
2015-2023

Editorial Board Member for Minerals
2015-Present

Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group)
2016-2018

Member of Inaugural CSIRO Land and Water Science Council
2016-2023

Editorial Board Member for Metals
2017-2017

Guest Editor for Special Issue of Microorganisms: Microorganisms for environmental and industrial applications
2017-2022

Chair of the Local Organising Committee for International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium to be held in Perth, Western Australia 2022
2017-2023

Editorial Board Member for Microorganisms
2017-Present

Chair of the International Scientific Committee of International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium
2019-2020

Guest Editor for a Collection in Scientific Reports: Synthetic Biology for Environmental and Industrial Applications
2019-2020

Guest Editor for International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium IBS2019 Special Issue published in Hydrometallurgy
2020-2023

Section Editor in Chief of Minerals for Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry section
2020-2020

Guest editor for Minerals Special Issue "10th Anniversary of Minerals: Frontiers of Mineral Science
2020-2020

Member of Scientific Committee for Environmental Technology for Impact 2020, from 3rd – 5th of June 2020, in Wageningen, The Netherlands
2021-2022

Guest Editor for Water for Special Issue: "Research on the Role of Microorganisms in Subsurface Contaminated Aquifers"
2021-Present

Editor for Minerals Engineering
2021-2022

Guest Editor for Minerals for Special Issue "Recent Contributions of Female Scientists to the Advancement of Environmental Mineralogy"
2022-2023

Guest Editor for the 24th International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium (IBS 2022) Special Issue published in Hydrometallurgy
2024-Present

Associate Editor for the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy

Grants

2022-2025

Member of the Science Management Committee for CSIRO's Microbiomes for One System Health Future Science Platform

Publications

We have publications by Dr Anna Kaksonen