Professor David Black is recognised as one of the world's leading heterocyclic chemists and has made major contributions in heterocyclic chemistry, coordination chemistry and natural products. His international reputation is based on the originality and versatility of his research, which has generated the synthesis of new types of organic molecules and the discovery of new synthetic methodologies. He has published more than 250 papers and a book, "Organometallics in Organic Synthesis" and has been awarded the Rennie, Smith, Birch, and Leighton medals of the RACI. Since 2004 he has held the elected position of Secretary General of IUPAC.