Janet K Jansson

Early life and education Jansson started her scientific career at New Mexico State University, where she majored in chemical engineering but selected electives in biology and soil science. She has said that her soil microbiology professor, William Lindemann, introduced her to microbiology. She continued to explore oil biology in her doctoral research at Michigan State University, during which she developed gene probe methods for detecting bacteria in environmental samples. This was a new concept, because previously microorganisms could only be examined by microscopy. She held a joint position at University of California, Berkeley and the University of Copenhagen.

In 2014, Jansson joined the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she was made Chief Scientist for Biology. Her research considers multi-omics based strategies to investigate microbial organisms. She has studied how climate change impacts microbial communities in ecosystems: how warming impacts permafrost soil microbiomes and how drought impacts grassland soils. She is also interested in the human microbiome: how diet and disease impact the gut microbiome. The program looks to develop a comprehensive understanding of soil microbial responses to changing moisture. She served as President of the International Society for Microbiology. She was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences committee on Soil Sciences in 2020.

She is currently on the Scientific Advisory Board of Seed.

Selected publications