Ana Soares is a full Professor of Biotechnology Engineering at Cranfield Water Science Institute, Cranfield University, UK. She is an IWA Fellow and leads the Resource Recovery Community of Practice at Cranfield University. Her research focuses on the behavior and manipulation of bacterial communities under dynamic conditions, leading to new technologies, process optimization, and valuable product recovery. Her research is applied in municipal and industrial wastewater, proposing innovative and economically feasible solutions to produce high-quality effluents and resource recovery. Her scientific findings have resulted in leading-edge processes and technological innovations that contribute worldwide to sustainable solutions for effluent treatment. She is particularly successful in bridging the gap between science and application, working in close collaboration with industry partners leading the water sector. In February 2024, she received the prestigious OFWAT Discovery Challenge Award for her breakthrough and innovation in phosphorus removal and recovery from wastewater using bio-mineral-forming microorganisms. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed publications that have received over 5500 citations. Professor Soares is an active member of various national and international committees, chair of the IWA Resource Recovery Cluster, and the prominent IWA Leading Edge Conference series. She is the editor-in-chief of the Water and Environment Journal and an associate editor for Water Research.