Elizabeth Chloe Romanis

Dr. Elizabeth Chloe Romanis is an Associate Professor in Biolaw at Durham Law School, Durham University, holding dual affiliations with Durham CELLS (Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences) and the Institute for Medical Humanities. As of August 2024, she serves as the Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Law School, and from September 2022-June 2023, she held a prestigious Fellowship-in-Residence at Harvard University's Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics and the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics. She also maintains an adjunct researcher position with the University of Zurich's Human Reproduction Reloaded research programme and serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of Medical Law International.

Her educational background includes a first class LLB (Hons) Law degree and a distinction LLM in Health Care Ethics and Law from the University of Manchester, followed by a Wellcome Trust-funded PhD in Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence, completed with no corrections in September 2020. During her doctoral studies, she spent a semester as a visiting postgraduate researcher in Reproductive and Sexual Health Law at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Romanis's research focuses on the intersection of law, ethics, and reproduction, with particular emphasis on artificial womb technology, abortion rights, and gestation-related legal issues. Her scholarship critically examines how legal frameworks address emerging reproductive technologies and the rights of diverse individuals in reproductive contexts. Her work often challenges traditional legal boundaries and advocates for more inclusive, equitable approaches to reproductive healthcare and decision-making.

Her publication record demonstrates a clear evolution from foundational work on artificial womb technology and abortion law toward increasingly nuanced explorations of gender diversity in reproduction, with recent articles addressing nonbinary and trans pregnancies, safeguarding in telemedical abortion, and the intersection of reproductive justice with emerging technologies. The 2023-2025 publications reveal a growing emphasis on intersectional approaches that consider how race, gender identity, and socioeconomic status impact reproductive experiences and legal protections.

• University of Manchester Distinguished Achievement Medal for Postgraduate Researcher of the Year (FHUMS) 2020
• Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Teacher Award 2020
• Durham Law School Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Staff Award 2021

Dr. Romanis actively supervises PhD students in reproduction and the law, and her work has been supported by prestigious fellowships including those from Harvard University and the Wellcome Trust Project at Lancaster University. She has collaborated with international researchers across the UK, Europe, and North America, establishing herself as a key voice in bioethics and reproductive law scholarship. Her edited textbook 'Diverse Voices in Health Law and Ethics: Important Perspectives' (Bristol University Press, 2025) reflects her commitment to amplifying marginalized perspectives in legal and ethical discourse.