Dr Laabei is a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at the School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences (BABS), University of Bristol. He completed his PhD at the University of Bath in 2014, undertaking an interdisciplinary project that combined molecular microbiology and biophysical chemistry. During his doctoral research he helped develop phospholipid-based biosensors for the rapid detection of bacterial infections in burn wounds. In parallel he co-developed a functional genomics approach designed to uncover the genetic basis of toxin expression in the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. In recognition of his outstanding postgraduate research, he was nominated for the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize by the Department of Biology and Biochemistry.

Following his PhD, Dr Laabei was awarded a competitive European Respiratory Society Fellowship and joined the Fundació Institut d’Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) in Barcelona. There, he investigated the impact of cigarette smoke on the pathophysiology of S. aureus. In 2017, he moved to Lund University as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where his research focused on the complement system, investigating how bacterial pathogens evade complement recognition and complement-mediated clearance.

In 2019, Dr Laabei returned to the University of Bath to establish his own research group. His work focuses on understanding staphylococcal mechanisms of innate immune evasion, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in S. aureus, and the development of novel therapeutics to combat multidrug-resistant S. aureus infections.

In 2024, Dr Laabei joined the University of Bristol as a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology. He continues to lead research into infectious diseases, innate immunity, antimicrobial resistance, and the development of new strategies to treat bacterial infections.