Gene D. Block

Chancellor, UCLA

Gene Block was appointed Chancellor of UCLA on August 1, 2007. Previously, he served as Vice President and Provost of the University of Virginia, where he held the Alumni Council Thomas Jefferson Professorship in Biology and directed the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Biological Timing. He also headed an NIH graduate training program aimed at increasing the number of scientists from underrepresented groups. An expert in neuroscience, Dr. Block’s current research focuses on the effects of aging in the nervous system and how it impacts biological timing in mammals, including humans. He holds UCLA faculty appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine and in physiological science in the College of Letters and Science. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. As UCLA's Chief Executive Officer, Chancellor Block oversees all aspects of the campus' three-part mission of education, research and service. He has called for UCLA to deepen its engagement with Los Angeles, a city that offers a microcosm of the global community, and to increase access for students from underrepresented populations. A champion of public universities, Chancellor Block has served on the boards of several leading national associations, including the Association of American Universities, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Association of Public Land-Grant Universities, Council on Competitiveness, and the Digital Preservation Network Board of Trustees. In addition, he is the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Outstanding Public Service Award for his work with Virginia’s business community, and the Los Angeles NAACP Foundation President’s Award.