Dr. Gene Block

Gene Block
UCLA Chancellor Emeritus & Distinguished Professor

A champion of high-quality, accessible public higher education, Gene Block served as chancellor of UCLA — overseeing the university’s three-part mission of education, research and service — from 2007 to 2024. 

Under Chancellor Block’s leadership, UCLA greatly enhanced its position as a national leader in enrolling undergraduates who come from low-income backgrounds, have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education, or are among the first in their families to go to college. During his tenure, UCLA also became the most applied-to university in the nation, has advanced in rankings in nearly every discipline, has significantly deepened its international partnerships and engagement with alumni, and now receives more than $1.6 billion annually in research grants.

An expert in neuroscience, Chancellor Block holds faculty appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA College. His research focuses on the neurobiology of circadian rhythms.

Before becoming UCLA chancellor, Block spent 29 years at the University of Virginia, where he was most recently vice president and provost. He has served on the executive boards of several leading organizations, including the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.