OSEI LAB
Dr. Emmanuel T. Osei, PhD
Principal Investigator (PI) | Head
Lung Bioartificial Model Lab | Osei Lab
Biology Department | IKB Faculty of Science, UBCO
Biography
Dr. Osei established the Lung Bioartificial Model Lab at UBC Okanagan in 2021. His academic journey spans Ghana, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, bringing together training in medical laboratory science, diagnostics and respiratory research.
He earned a BSc (Hons) in Medical Laboratory Technology with First-Class Honours from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. A Commonwealth Shared Scholarship supported his MSc in Medical Diagnostics at Cranfield University, UK. He subsequently served as an Assistant Lecturer in the Medical School at KNUST.
His joint PhD connected the University of Groningen’s Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD with UBC’s Centre for Heart Lung Innovation. He trained with Professors Wim Timens, Irene Heijink and Corry-Anke Brandsma in Groningen and Professor Tillie Hackett at UBC. He continued as a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Hackett before establishing his independent research group at UBCO.
At UBCO, Dr. Osei has secured support from NSERC, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the BC Knowledge Development Fund, Mitacs, BC Lung Foundation and UBCO Eminence funds. He mentors undergraduate, master’s and MD–PhD trainees in the Osei Lab. His research and community contributions are recognised in the Awards section below.
Selected Awards
From >30 international and local awards
2026 | Faculty Outreach Award
Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan.
For sustained contributions to community outreach.
2026 | Ann Woolcock Memorial Award
American Thoracic Society, Assembly on Respiratory Structure and Function.
Selected earlier awards
2023 — ATS–APSR Young Investigator Award, American Thoracic Society and Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.
2020 — Stuart J. Hirst Award and Best Abstract Award, American Thoracic Society.
2020 — Best Publication Award, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, UBC.
2017 — James Hogg Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, UBC.
2017 — Best Research Award, Netherlands Respiratory Society and Stichting Astma Bestrijding.
2016 — Cornelis Van Breemen Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, UBC.
2015 — Best Presentation Award, NC3Rs Young Investigator Meeting.
2015 — ImmunoTools Special Award for Outstanding Research.
2012 — Program Director’s Prize, MSc Medical Diagnostics, Cranfield University.
2010–2011 — Commonwealth Shared Scholarship.
Teaching
Courses taught at UBC
BIOL 363 · Developmental Biology
Third-year study of animal development, comparing vertebrate and invertebrate embryos. Topics include gene expression, cell signalling, cell fate and pattern formation, with research techniques and data analysis integrated throughout.
BIOL 300 · Advanced Cell Biology
Third-year exploration of cell structure and function, extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, the cytoskeleton, apoptosis and autophagy, with a focus on experimental approaches to studying cells.
BIOL 552 · Graduate Directed Studies
Independent research through a focused, critical literature review on a selected topic.
BIOL 452 · Undergraduate Directed Studies
Supervised laboratory research, culminating in a research report or literature review.
PATH 521 · Graduate Medical Research
A three-credit Faculty of Medicine course examining cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and sepsis, co-taught with instructors at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation.
Teaching philosophy
Dr. Osei’s teaching connects fundamental biology with the experiments and evidence that shape our understanding of living systems. He combines lectures with active and team-based learning to encourage critical thinking, scientific scrutiny and collaboration.
At UBC Okanagan, he developed BIOL 300 Advanced Cell Biology and updated BIOL 363 Developmental Biology. Both courses draw on textbooks and current research, with clear learning outcomes that help students connect biological concepts to experimental approaches.
Students work with micrographs, stained tissue sections, videos and peer-reviewed papers. Presentations, group discussions and questions invite them to interpret evidence, explain their reasoning and learn from one another. Assessment includes multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions, alongside critical literature reviews and research writing in Directed Studies.
Before joining UBCO, Dr. Osei taught graduate students at UBC’s Centre for Heart Lung Innovation and served as an Assistant Lecturer in Anatomy and Cell Biology at KNUST in Ghana. Across these settings, his aim is to create a collegial learning environment that builds confidence, practical understanding and independence in future biologists and biomedical researchers.