 Lachs is the faculty adviser of Young Americans for Liberty at Vanderbilt University and is a libertarian.Among the prominent alumni whose Ph.D. dissertations he has advised are many of the leading figures in bioethics, pragmatism, and a number of public intellectuals, including Glenn McGee, Ph.D., Paul Menzel, Ph.D., Herman Saatkamp, Ph.D., On April 3, 2013, he became one of three professors in Vanderbilt's history to receive the prestigious Alumni Education Award twice.He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for "Public Philosophy Journal".