Dr. Eric Block (pictured above) is the Carla Rizzo Delray Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. As the foremost expert of Allium chemistry, Professor Block's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), American Heart Association (AHA), NATO and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Professor Block's current NSF grant of $474,800, through 2011, marks 30 years of continuous grant support for his lab.

Professor Block's research broadly deals with the chemistry of organic compounds of sulfur and selenium. More specifically, he is interested in the science (and associated folklore) of the sulfur-rich genus Allium plants (garlic, onion and related plants), particularly the use of compounds derived from these plants as environmentally benign pesticides and as anticancer agents. He is presently writing a book, to be published next year by the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), on "Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science." He began research for this book while at Cambridge University during a sabbatical in Fall 2006 from the University at Albany.

May 7, 2008