Anja Wanner (name pronunciation here) is the Enid H. Anderson Professor of English and chair of the Department of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A trained syntactician, Professor Wanner has published books and articles on the syntax and semantics of English verbs, the form and function of the English passive, as well as on linguistic variation by register and genre, and on the impact of linguistic prescriptivism. An award-winning teacher at both the undergraduate and graduate level, she teaches courses on English syntax and grammar in use, including a class on “Bad Grammar” (see her interview “Grammar is not the enemy” on Wisconsin Public Radio here). She is currently working on a book entitled Bad Grammar in the Digital Age and is also a research fellow at UW-Madison’s Center for Humanistic Inquiry into AI and Uncertainty.
Professor Wanner has extensive experience in academic leadership and shared governance. At UW-Madison, she has chaired the Department of English and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, helped establish the Center for the Teaching and Research on Writing, served on leadership search and screen committees, and was selected as fellow for the Big Ten Academic Alliance Leadership Program. In 2024, her accomplishments in research, teaching, and service were recognized with a Hilldale Award.