Dr. Michael Owusu is a Clinical Microbiologist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Diagnostics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). In his role as Laboratory Manager at the KNUST-IVI Collaborative Centre, he is responsible for directing laboratory operations, ensuring adherence to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), managing inventory and supplies, supervising laboratory staff, and providing both technical and administrative support to research teams.

With more than a decade of professional experience in the Microbiology Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Owusu brings deep expertise in classical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, and virological surveillance. His doctoral research examined the genetic diversity of human coronaviruses in Ghana, and his post-doctoral work focused on identifying epidemic-prone pathogens in wildlife and other animal hosts. He played a critical role in Ghana’s COVID-19 testing and response efforts and now leads research in viral zoonoses, microbial pathogen epidemiology, environmental surveillance, and the molecular evolution of viral organisms.

Dr. Owusu is a Fellow of the African Programme for Advanced Epidemiology Training (APARET), the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), and the African Research Excellence Fund (AREF). He also serves as Executive Director of the Centre for Health System Strengthening (CHSS), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to strengthening health systems in Ghana. His academic contributions include over 70 peer-reviewed publications, four book chapters, and service on more than 30 national and international committees. He is a regular reviewer for high-impact scientific journals and sits on both the Board of Reviewers of the American Society for Microbiology and the Board of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.