Dr. Jonathan Leighton
Jonathan Leighton, Ph.D. is an Ethics Strategist, Writer, and Social Change Advocate who serves as the Executive Director at the Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS), a Swiss-based think-and-do tank he founded in 2016.
He is the author of two influential books on ethics, The Tango of Ethics: Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering and The Battle for Compassion: Ethics in an Apathetic Universe. With a background in molecular biology and over 17 years of experience in ethics advocacy, writing, and consulting, Jonathan has emerged as one of the leading proponents of a contemporary approach to ethics that focuses on the primacy of suffering.
As Executive Director of OPIS, Jonathan leads a Swiss-based think-and-do tank dedicated to preventing the intense suffering of all sentient beings and promoting this objective as our overriding global ethical priority. In June 2025, OPIS released their new publication Compassionate Governance: A Strategic Guide to Preventing and Alleviating Global Suffering.
The organization has been advocating internationally for better access to effective medications for people in severe pain, including morphine for terminal cancer patients and certain psychedelics for people with excruciating cluster headaches.
In March 2018, OPIS co-organized and successfully led an expert panel event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on access to morphine as a human right. Read Ending the Agony: Access to Morphine as an Ethical and Human Rights Imperative, OPIS, a think-and-do tank for an ethic based on the prevention of suffering, and watch Ending the Agony presentation.
In 2023, Jonathan published The Tango of Ethics: Intuition, Rationality and the Prevention of Suffering, which proposes a deep, rigorous reassessment of how we think about ethics. The book introduces his ‘xNU+’ framework that places central emphasis on phenomenological experience and the unique urgency of suffering wherever it occurs, challenging our existence bias and examining the consequences of a metaphysically accurate understanding of personal identity.
The book avoids some of the flaws of classical utilitarianism, including the notion that extreme suffering can be formally balanced out by enough bliss, while maintaining a focus on impact. Watch Jonathan Leighton at EAGxAustralia 2023 – Unexpected Value: Prioritising the Urgency of Suffering.
Jonathan’s advocacy work includes a major initiative to promote access to psychedelics for treating cluster headaches, one of the most excruciating medical conditions known. OPIS produced a policy paper, Legalising Access to Psilocybin to End the Agony of Cluster Headaches, in November 2020 and created a 2-minute animated video advocacy tool about the condition. The organization worked with Juan-Pablo, a team member who developed severe SUNCT (a devastatingly painful neurological disorder) and found relief through ayahuasca treatments, to advocate for better solutions. OPIS has also been working with countries to change legislation and create comprehensive guides for patients suffering from these “suicide headaches”.
Before founding OPIS, Jonathan spent several years in the Swiss fragrance industry, working with perfumers and trying to better understand the molecular basis of the sense of smell. From 1998 to 2003, he served as Marketing Manager at Givaudan, a leading fragrance company. Following this, he worked for two years at a Geneva-based communications agency that had just received the European mandate for the Gates Foundation, allowing him to reconnect with issues he cared about. From 2005 to 2007, he worked as Senior Consultant at Rochat & Partners, a Geneva communications agency, where he handled mandates particularly in the global health and biotech space.
In 2015, Jonathan produced a 20-minute film with the same title as his first book to communicate key messages about ethics and compassion in a readily accessible form. The film was made available with French, Spanish, and Arabic subtitles to reach a broader international audience. He has been giving talks on ethics and compassion to various audiences, from MBA students to aspiring vegans, environmentalists, and other activists. He occasionally organizes workshops on compassion, self-compassion, and ethics, while continuing to write and give public talks about the ethics of preventing suffering. Watch The Battle for Compassion.
From 2014 to 2016, Jonathan served as a Member of the Advisory Council for GBS Switzerland (now Effective Altruism Foundation), a think tank for the application of critical, rational thinking to the intersection of science and ethics. He also organized and hosted TEDxLausanne from 2011 to 2012. Since October 2007, he has maintained an independent practice as a Writer, Speaker, and Consultant based in Lausanne and Geneva.
His speaking engagements have included presentations at EAGxVirtual Unconference on Relieving the Pain of Cluster Headaches: Psilocybin and Related Chemicals in June 2020, and panel discussions on Designing Ethical Governance at Campfire’s World Harmony Summer Solstice event.
Jonathan earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Basel in 1995. His doctoral research was in a field removed from direct human wellbeing applications, which ultimately led him to reconsider his career path away from traditional academic research. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University in 1988.
At Harvard, he explored other fields like philosophy and psychology alongside his scientific studies, though he initially stuck to his original career plan in biology despite persistent doubts about laboratory work. In 1999, he completed the International Marketing Program at INSEAD, adding business acumen to his scientific background.
Jonathan has been featured in numerous podcasts and interviews discussing ethics and suffering prevention. He appeared on The Humanimal Connection podcast Series 2, Episode 1, discussing the importance of ethical governance with host Jane Davidson. He was interviewed by Caryn Hartglass on her podcast It’s All About Food, which aired on January 24, 2023, on New York’s Progressive Radio Network.
Adam Ford interviewed him for his Science, Technology & the Future channel at EAGxAustralia in Melbourne on September 23, 2023, resulting in a two-part series covering OPIS, the primacy of suffering, ethical frameworks, and compassionate governance. Watch Jonathan Leighton – The Tango of Ethics and OPIS: The Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering. Listen to The Humanimal Connection Series 2: Episode 1 and It’s All About Food- Jonathan Leighton, The Tango of Ethics, Intuition, Rationality, and the Prevention of Suffering.
The effective altruism community has recognized Jonathan’s contributions to suffering-focused ethics through various speaking opportunities and book launch events. His work has received endorsements from leading ethicists, with Professor Roger Crisp of Oxford University noting that “Nearly all of us, philosophers or not, should attach much greater weight to the prevention of severe suffering”. Roman V. Yampolskiy, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, praised The Tango of Ethics as “a well-researched book addressing the most important topic in our universe — the suffering of sentient beings and its implications for ethics, philosophy and technology”.
Magnus Vinding, cofounder of the Center for Reducing Suffering, commended Jonathan’s work for “charting a radical yet pragmatic path forward that is consistent both with the constraints of rationality and with our deepest needs and intuitions”.
Jonathan grew up mainly in Montreal, Canada, curious about the world and constantly asking “Why?” His first-grade teacher predicted he would become a philosopher, though his affinity for science and strong scientific presence in his family initially led him toward biology.
He currently enjoys hiking and “conscious dance” events like Ecstatic Dance and 5 Rhythms when not engaged in his writing and advocacy work. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Jonathan continues to work on designing and promoting the compassionate society of the future through OPIS and his independent consulting. Read his publications and essays.
Visit his LinkedIn profile, personal homepage, and OPIS website. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.