Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Wagner

 

 

 

 

 

Vice Director of the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science

☎ +43 1 4277 91200

✉ michael.wagner@univie.ac.at

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

Showing entries 1 - 6 out of 315
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, [e0082124]. https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00821-24
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), [e0030124]. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00301-24
Gruseck, R. J., Palatinszky, M., Wagner, M., Hofmann, T., & Zumstein, M. (Accepted/In press). Quantification of Guanidine in Environmental Samples using Benzoin Derivatization and LC-MS Analysis. MethodsX, 13, [102972]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.102972
Palatinszky, M., Herbold, C. W., Sedlacek, C. J., Pühringer, D., Kitzinger, K., Giguere, A. T., Wasmund, K., Nielsen, P. H., Dueholm, M. K. D., Jehmlich, N., Gruseck, R., Legin, A., Kostan, J., Krasnici, N., Schreiner, C., Palmetzhofer, J., Hofmann, T., Zumstein, M., Djinović-Carugo, K., ... Wagner, M. (2024). Growth of complete ammonia oxidizers on guanidine. Nature, 633, 646-653. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07832-z
Bayer, B., Liu, S., Louie, K., Northen, T. R., Wagner, M., Daims, H., Carlson, C. A., & Santoro, A. E. (2024). Metabolite release by nitrifiers facilitates metabolic interactions in the ocean. The ISME Journal, 18(1), [wrae172]. https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wrae172
Awala, S. I., Gwak, J-H., Kim, Y., Jung, M-Y., Dunfield, P. F., Wagner, M., & Rhee, S-K. (2024). Nitrous oxide respiration in acidophilic methanotrophs. Nature Communications, 15(1), [4226]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48161-z