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Michael Wagner

Michael Wagner

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Microbiology
Austria
2026
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Biology and Biochemistry
Austria
2023

D-Index & Metrics

Microbiology

D-Index
152
Citations
83586
World Ranking
29
National Ranking
1

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Microbiology in Austria Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Microbiology in Austria Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Austria Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Austria Leader Award
  • 2019 - Wittgenstein Award
  • 2009 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Microbiology and Immunology
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Overview

Michael Wagner is affiliated with the University of Vienna in Austria. Their research extensively covers environmental science and biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Within these domains, their work has significantly engaged with several subfields, including ecology, molecular biology, pollution, infectious diseases, and biomedical engineering.

The scientist's research topics primarily focus on microbial community ecology and physiology, wastewater treatment and nitrogen removal, microbial fuel cells and bioremediation, gut microbiota and health, genomics and phylogenetic studies, spectroscopy techniques in biomedical and chemical research, and marine sponges and natural products.

Michael Wagner has contributed numerous papers, among which some notable recent publications include:

  • "Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges" (2020), published in Microbiome
  • "Proposal to reclassify the proteobacterial classes Deltaproteobacteria and Oligoflexia, and the phylum Thermodesulfobacteria into four phyla reflecting major functional capabilities" (2020), published in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
  • "Rational design of a microbial consortium of mucosal sugar utilizers reduces Clostridiodes difficile colonization" (2020), published in Nature Communications
  • "Ammonia-oxidizing archaea possess a wide range of cellular ammonia affinities" (2021), published in The ISME Journal
  • "Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria" (2020), published in Nature Microbiology

Wagner frequently publishes in various scientific journals, with the highest number of publications appearing in:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • The ISME Journal
  • Nature Communications
  • Nature Microbiology
  • Microbiome

Collaborations form an integral part of their research, with frequent co-authors including:

  • Craig W. Herbold
  • Arno Schintlmeister
  • Holger Daims
  • Katharina Kitzinger
  • Petra Pjevac

Throughout their career, Michael Wagner has received several awards and recognitions. These include the Wittgenstein Award in 2019, membership in the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina recognizing contributions to microbiology and immunology in 2009, and membership in the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Best Publications

  • Complete nitrification by Nitrospira bacteria

    Holger Daims;Elena V. Lebedeva;Petra Pjevac;Ping Han

  • The Domain-specific Probe EUB338 is Insufficient for the Detection of all Bacteria: Development and Evaluation of a more Comprehensive Probe Set

    Holger Daims;Andreas Brühl;Rudolf Amann;Karl-Heinz Schleifer

  • Phylogenetic Oligodeoxynucleotide Probes for the Major Subclasses of Proteobacteria: Problems and Solutions

    Werner Manz;Rudolf Amann;Wolfgang Ludwig;Michael Wagner

  • Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges

    Gabriele Berg;Daria Rybakova;Doreen Fischer;Tomislav Cernava

  • Sponge-Associated Microorganisms: Evolution, Ecology, and Biotechnological Potential

    Michael W. Taylor;Regina Radax;Doris Steger;Michael Wagner

  • Deciphering the evolution and metabolism of an anammox bacterium from a community genome

    Marc Strous;Eric Pelletier;Sophie Mangenot;Thomas Rattei

  • Phylogeny of All Recognized Species of Ammonia Oxidizers Based on Comparative 16S rRNA and amoA Sequence Analysis: Implications for Molecular Diversity Surveys

    Ulrike Purkhold;Andreas Pommerening-Röser;Stefan Juretschko;Markus C. Schmid

  • Phylogenetic probes for analyzing abundance and spatial organization of nitrifying bacteria.

    Bruch K. Mobarry;Michael Wagner;Vincent Urbain;Bruce E. Rittmann

  • Combined Molecular and Conventional Analyses of Nitrifying Bacterium Diversity in Activated Sludge: Nitrosococcus mobilis and Nitrospira-Like Bacteria as Dominant Populations

    Stefan Juretschko;Gabriele Timmermann;Markus Schmid;Karl-Heinz Schleifer

  • In Situ Characterization of Nitrospira-Like Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria Active in Wastewater Treatment Plants

    Holger Daims;Jeppe L. Nielsen;Per H. Nielsen;Karl-Heinz Schleifer

  • Nitrososphaera viennensis, an ammonia oxidizing archaeon from soil

    Maria Tourna;Michaela Stieglmeier;Anja Spang;Martin Könneke

  • Microbiology and application of the anaerobic ammonium oxidation ('anammox') process.

    Mike S.M Jetten;Mike S.M Jetten;Michael Wagner;John Fuerst;Mark van Loosdrecht

  • Molecular evidence for genus level diversity of bacteria capable of catalyzing anaerobic ammonium oxidation.

    Markus Schmid;Ulf Twachtmann;Michael G Klein;Marc Strous

  • Probing activated sludge with oligonucleotides specific for proteobacteria: inadequacy of culture-dependent methods for describing microbial community structure.

    M Wagner;R Amann;H Lemmer;K H Schleifer

  • A New Perspective on Microbes Formerly Known as Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria

    Holger Daims;Sebastian Lücker;Michael Wagner

  • Molecular Evidence for a Uniform Microbial Community in Sponges from Different Oceans

    Ute Hentschel;Jörn Hopke;Matthias Horn;Anja B. Friedrich

  • A Nitrospira metagenome illuminates the physiology and evolution of globally important nitrite-oxidizing bacteria

    Sebastian Lücker;Michael Wagner;Frank Maixner;Eric Pelletier

  • Oligonucleotide microarray for 16S rRNA gene-based detection of all recognized lineages of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes in the environment.

    Alexander Loy;Angelika Lehner;Natuschka Lee;Justyna Adamczyk

  • Phylogeny of Dissimilatory Sulfite Reductases Supports an Early Origin of Sulfate Respiration

    Michael Wagner;Andrew J. Roger;Jodi L. Flax;Gregory A. Brusseau

  • Combination of fluorescent in situ hybridization and microautoradiography-a new tool for structure-function analyses in microbial ecology

    Natuscka Lee;Per Halkjær Nielsen;Kjær Holm Andreasen;Stefan Juretschko

  • A moderately thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing crenarchaeote from a hot spring.

    Roland Hatzenpichler;Elena V. Lebedeva;Eva Spieck;Kilian Stoecker

  • Global diversity and biogeography of bacterial communities in wastewater treatment plants

    Linwei Wu;Daliang Ning;Bing Zhang;Yong Li

  • In situ probing of Gram-positive bacteria with high DNA G + C content using 23S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotides

    Carsten Roller;Michael Wagner;Rudolf Amann;Wolfgang Ludwig

Frequent Co-Authors

Holger Daims
Holger Daims University of Vienna
Alexander Loy
Alexander Loy University of Vienna
Matthias Horn
Matthias Horn University of Vienna
Per Halkjær Nielsen
Per Halkjær Nielsen Aalborg University
Rudolf Amann
Rudolf Amann Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Karl-Heinz Schleifer
Karl-Heinz Schleifer Technical University of Munich
Thomas Rattei
Thomas Rattei University of Vienna
David A. Stahl
David A. Stahl University of Washington
Mike S. M. Jetten
Mike S. M. Jetten Radboud University
Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Jeppe Lund Nielsen Aalborg University

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