Gene D. Block

Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles

As UCLA’s chancellor, Gene Block oversees all aspects of the campus’ three-part mission of education, research, and service. A champion of public universities, Block serves on several leading national associations and advisory boards, including chairman of the council of presidents of the Universities Research Association, an international consortium of 89 leading research universities. Block holds UCLA faculty appointments in psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine and in physiological science in the College of Letters and Science. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he became chancellor in 2007. Previously, he served as vice president and provost of the University of Virginia. He also headed a National Institutes of Health graduate training program. A native of Monticello, N.Y., Block is the inventor of a number of devices, holding a patent for a noncontact respiratory monitor for the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome. Block and his wife, Carol, have two children.

Enjoy most: Interacting with our students and alumni. I am continuously inspired by their achievements.

Proudest moment: When I see students overcome extraordinary challenges graduate from UCLA.

Best advice: Integrity in business dealings should be the first principle.

Fun fact: I have rebuilt a number of classic sports cars.

Bucket list: A trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Hobby/passion: Tinkering with old tube radios.