Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Wagner
Humans are strongly impacting the global nitrogen cycle by massive use of nitrogen fertilisers. Nitrification leads to fertiliser loss, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emission, but is essential for efficient wastewater treatment. Research in Michael Wagner‘s group focuses on the ecology, physiology, and evolution of nitrifying microorganisms. Michael Wagner’s group has discovered, cultured, and characterised important new nitrifying bacteria and archaea, including the long sought-after complete nitrifiers, describing unexpected physiological traits in the process.
Michael also has a strong interest in microbial communities driving sewage treatment and in the microbiomes of marine sponges. His group also develop innovative single cell tools to study functional properties of microbes in their natural environment. Michael is an EMBO member, has received an ERC Advanced Grant, the FWF Wittgenstein Award (highest Austrian science award), the Jim Tiedje Award of the International Society for Microbial Ecology, and the Schrödinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He is the director of the FWF Cluster of Excellence “Microbiomes Drive Planetary Heath”.
Ongoing Research Projects
Join the Team
If you are interested in joining our team, explore our open positions and learn more about available PhD and postdoc stipends here.
Teaching
To view Michael Wagner's teaching activities at the University of Vienna, visit u:find.
Group Members
Publications
Global Water Microbiome Consortium, Zhu, C., Wu, L., Ning, D., Tian, R., Gao, S., Zhang, B., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., Xiao, N., Wang, Y., Brown, M. R., Tu, Q., Ju, F., Wells, G. F., Guo, J., He, Z., Nielsen, P. H., Wang, A., ... Zhou, J. (2025).
Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems.
Nature Communications,
16(1), Article 4006.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59019-3
Del Rey, Y. C.
, Kitzinger, K., Lund, M. B., Schramm, A., Meyer, R. L.
, Wagner, M., & Schlafer, S. (2024).
pH-FISH: coupled microscale analysis of microbial identity and acid–base metabolism in complex biofilm samples.
Microbiome,
12(1), Article 266.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-024-01977-9
Lee, U.-J., Gwak, J.-H., Choi, S., Jung, M.-Y., Lee, T. K., Ryu, H., Imisi Awala, S.
, Wanek, W., Wagner, M., Quan, Z.-X., & Rhee, S.-K. (2024).
"Ca. Nitrosocosmicus" members are the dominant archaea associated with plant rhizospheres.
mSphere,
9(12), Article e0082124.
https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00821-24
Gruseck, R. J., Palatinszky, M.
, Wagner, M., Hofmann, T., & Zumstein, M. (2024).
Quantification of Guanidine in Environmental Samples using Benzoin Derivatization and LC-MS Analysis.
MethodsX,
13, Article 102972.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.102972
Pereira, F. C., Ge, X., Kristensen, J. M., Kirkegaard, R. H., Maritsch, K.
, Szamosvári, D., Imminger, S.
, Seki, D., Shazzad, J. B., Zhu, Y., Decorte, M., Hausmann, B.
, Berry, D., Wasmund, K.
, Schintlmeister, A., Böttcher, T., Cheng, J.-X.
, & Wagner, M. (2024).
The Parkinson's disease drug entacapone disrupts gut microbiome homoeostasis via iron sequestration.
Nature Microbiology,
9(12), 3165–3183.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01853-0
Wasmund, K., Singleton, C., Dahl Dueholm, M. K.
, Wagner, M., & Nielsen, P. H. (2024).
The predicted secreted proteome of activated sludge microorganisms indicates distinct nutrient niches.
mSystems,
9(10), Article e0030124.
https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00301-24
