Richard A. Lockshin (born December 1937 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American cellular biologist known for his work on apoptosis.

In 1964, Lockshin and Williams published their landmark contribution on "Programmed Cell Death: Endocrine potentiation of the breakdown of the intersegmental muscles of silkmoths", in which they coined the term, programmed cell death, during a time in which little research was being carried out on this topic.

Richard Lockshin is a retired Emeritus professor of St. John's University (Jamaica, NY).

His laboratory and study group at St. John's University focused on the causal mechanisms of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

), cell death is now considered to be a major component of development, homeostasis, aging, and many diseases.