Damien Keown studied religion at Lancaster University before completing a doctorate in Buddhist ethics at the University of Oxford. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Buddhist Ethics at Goldsmiths, University of London. His main research interests are theoretical and applied aspects of Buddhist ethics, with particular reference to contemporary issues. He is the author of many books and articles including The Nature of Buddhist Ethics (Palgrave, 2001), Buddhism and Bioethics (Palgrave 2001), Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 2013, 2000), Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 2006), and the Dictionary of Buddhism (OUP, 2003). He is also a contributor to Oxford Bibliographies. In 1994 he founded The Journal of Buddhist Ethics with Charles S. Prebish, with whom he also co-founded the Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism Series.