- Assistant Research Professor
Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University - Faculty Member
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Lomax Boyd’s scholarship focuses on the structure and dynamics of moral reasoning about neuroscience research and neurotechnology–particularly, new approach methods (NAMs) for studying the human brain including brain organoids and neuroAI. Previously, Lomax served as a Civic Science Fellow, Teaching as Research Fellow, and Science Education Fellow. Dr. Boyd conducted his postdoctoral research in behavioral neuroscience at The Rockefeller University, after receiving his PhD in developmental neurobiology from Duke University.
He conducts bioethics research using quantitative social science methods, including development of novel graph-based approaches to the study of the complexity of moral and ethical reasoning among diverse publics. His research has been supported by the Kavli Foundation, Dana Foundation, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health.
Research Interests
- Neuroethics
- Empirical bioethics
- Ethics communication
Education
- Postdoctoral Training, The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language
- PhD, Duke University
- MS, College of William and Mary
- BS, University of Richmond
Recent Publications
Bassil, K., and Boyd, JL, “Preface”, In Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics, vol. 9, Elsevier (2026), doi: 10.1016/S2589-2959(26)00022-6.
Boyd, JL, “The logic of basho among the Western public’s views of consciousness and bioethical decision-making,”, AJOB Neuroscience (2026), doi: 10.1080/21507740.2026.2689620.
Boyd, JL, Jensen E, Jensen A, and Lipshitz N, “Views on the distribution of consciousness influence ethical judgements toward brain organoids as biological computers: An exploratory study”, Neuroscience of Consciousness (2026), doi: 10.1093/nc/niag023.
Kagan, B, Baccetti, V, Earp, B, Boyd, JL, Savulescu, J, and Razi, A, “A quantifiable information-processing hierarchy provides a necessary condition for detecting agency”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2026), doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0615.
Boyd, JL., Jensen, E.A., Jensen, A.M. et al, Ethical concerns about embodied brain organoids shaped by foundational distinctions and perceptions of consciousness. Scientific Reports, 16, 10885 (2026), doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-43243-y
Boyd JL, “How to integrate neuroethics into a neuroscience course–and drive student engagement with core concepts”, Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (2024), doi: 10.59390/ZBGO4273.
Kagan BJ, Loeffler A, Boyd JL, and Savulescu J, “Embodied neural systems can enable iterative investigations of morally relevant states”, Journal of Neuroscience, (2024), doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0431-24.2024.
Boyd JL, “Moral considerability of brain organoids from the perspective of computational architecture”, Oxford Open Neuroscience, (2024), doi: 10.1093/oons/kvae004.
Boyd JL and Lipshitz N, “Dimensions of consciousness and the moral status of brain organoids”, Neuroethics, 17, 5 (2024), doi: 10.1007/s12152-023-09538-x.