Meet our Faculty

DR. EMMANUEL TWUMASI OSEI

Assistant Professor, Biology
Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

My journey in higher education has been quite the experience with lots of twists and turns and some globe-trotting. I was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, where I had my basic education and obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. After a short stint as a Clinical Lab Scientist in Ghana, I was awarded the international Commonwealth Shared scholarship and pursued my Master’s in Medical Diagnostics at Cranfield University, UK. After this, I returned to Ghana and taught Cell Biology as an Assistant Lecturer at my former university until I obtained the rare opportunity to pursue a joint-PhD between UBC Vancouver and the University of Groningen (UG), the Netherlands, focusing on structural cell crosstalk in lung diseases. After this, I did a postdoc at UBC Vancouver for almost four years until my faculty appointment at UBC Okanagan in July 2021.

My research focuses on understanding how interactions between structural and immune cells in the lungs protect the airways in health and how this communication becomes abnormal in chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) & asthma. The goal of my research is to discover new therapeutic targets for COPD and asthma.

“I am very passionate about the capacity to break abstract principles down for students to understand and relate to. I am excited about the unique opportunity to learn with students and to actively engage them in my classroom as I teach.”

I currently teach Developmental Biology, which is a fascinating course that introduces students to various developmental principles. The ability to incorporate active learning principles and capture students’ attention to enable learning is an exciting prospect. I am very passionate about the capacity to break abstract principles down for students to understand and relate to.” I am excited about the unique opportunity to learn with students and to actively engage them in my classroom as I teach.

I strongly believe that a collegial, practical and inclusive approach to student training provides the necessary motivation for students to perform and enjoy their research. For me, it is important that this starts with students realizing they are my colleagues in research—this enables students to personalize their projects and buy into the aims of the lab. I am a very approachable and hands-on supervisor who engages my students and encourages their contributions. The benefit is two-fold: it will ensure students’ success and the success of projects in my lab. I also strive to create an active environment in my classroom, enabling students to be engaged in what they are learning. The interactive atmosphere hopefully allows students to see me as an ally and enables them to approach me as much as possible through their learning process.

Read more about Emmanuel’s story