Professor Lesley Warren holds the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Chair in Mineral Engineering, and serves as the director of the Lassonde Institute of Mining. She is an applied scientist who combines geochemistry with molecular and experimental microbiology to identify the processes that affect water quality and reclamation efficacy. Her research intends to offer innovative new solutions for the minerals and energy sectors through integrating emerging molecular biological techniques initially developed for public health, and applying them to mining contexts to explore the roles of uncharacterized bacteria in affecting water quality. The information produced through her research will help to create new biologically informed practical tools to enhance environmental practice in the mining industry.