Jean-Michel Ané
​Pronouns: he, him, his

5303 Microbial Sciences Building
Department of Bacteriology
​Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences
1550 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
USA
Office: 608-262-6457
Lab:     608-890-0155

Education
B.S.       University of Lyon I, France.                   Molecular and Cellular Biology                    1995
M.S.      University of Toulouse III, France      Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology        1997
Ph.D.     University of Toulouse III, France      Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology        2002​

Professional Experience
2014 – present              Full Professor                           UW-Madison
2010 – 2014                    Associate Professor             UW-Madison
2004 – 2010                    Assistant Professor              UW-Madison
2002 – 2004                    Postdoctoral Researcher   UC Davis

Research Overview
Research focuses on engineering nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi for sustainable agriculture, specifically developing cereal-associated bacteria that can fix and deliver nitrogen as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers.

​Key research areas include:
• Biological nitrogen fixation in maize and sorghum aerial roots
• Plant-responsive nitrogen fixation systems
• Root colonization enhancement through protein engineering
• Native microbiome helper systems
• Molecular mechanisms of plant-microbe symbioses

Publications and impact
Peer-Reviewed Publications                                119 total
H-index                                                                              55
Book Chapters & Editor-Reviewed                   5
Patents                                                                               7
Invited Research Presentations                         160

Honors and Awards
2025,        American Academy of Microbiology Fellow
2024        American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow
2023        Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Award
2020        Postdoctoral Mentor Award
2017        Kellett Mid-Career Award
2015        Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award
2014        Rothermel Bascom Professorship of Agronomy

Funding
Total research funding: ~$34.5 million

Selected Current Grants
​• ARPA-E N2Cereals – Delivering Nitrogen to Cereal Crops through Biological Nitrogen Fixation ($6.1M, 2026-2030)
• DOE GLBRC – Engineering Associations between Bioenergy Crops and Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria ($706K, 2021-2026)
• DOE Systems Biology – A Systems Understanding of Nitrogen-fixation on the Aerial Roots of Sorghum ($5.8M, 2020-2026)
• DOE Phylogenomics – Phylogenomic Discovery and Engineering of Nitrogen Fixation ($7.3M total, 2017-2025) 

Teaching & Mentorship
Current Course
MICROBIOLOGY/BOTANY/ANIMAL SCIENCES 335 – The Microbiome of Plants, Animals, and Humans (Spring semester, since 2017)

Mentorship Record
​Undergraduate Students Trained                     272+
Ph.D. & M.S. Students Advised                           22 completed
Postdoctoral Researchers Supervised            25
Graduate Committees Served                             94

Professional Service
Leadership Roles
• Lead Organizer, 25th North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Conference (2022)
• Co-Organizer, 26th North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Conference (2024)
• Associate Chair, Department of Agronomy (2012–2015)
Editorial Positions
• Editor, Plant Physiology (2018–present)
• Editor, mSystems (2025–present)
• Associate Editor, Plant & Cell Physiology (2017–2020)
Scientific Advisory Boards
• Member, Pivot Bio Scientific Advisory Board
• Member, Valent Biosciences Scientific Advisory Board