Jansson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the Washington State Academy of Science. In addition, she was recently appointed by the National Academy of Science to the U.S. National Committee on Soil Sciences. She as authored ~200 publications, and is the editor of two books on molecular microbial ecology and a textbook on soil microbiology. She previously served as President of the International Society for Microbiology (ISME) and on numerous advisory panels, including the National Academy of Science Committee on Science Breakthroughs for Food and Agriculture by 2030. Jansson's specific expertise is in the use of molecular approaches (omics) to study complex microbial communities, such as those residing in soil, sediments, and the human gut. Jansson is studying the impact of climate change on microbial communities in prairie and arctic ecosystems, including a focus on the impact of warming on permafrost soil microbiomes and drought on grassland soils. Her research also focuses on the human microbiome, including the impacts of diet, host genetics and inflammatory bowel disease on gut microbial functions.