Eloy Rodriguez

Eloy Rodriguez (born January 7, 1947 ) is an American biochemist. He is the James Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies at Cornell University. He was born in Edinburg, Texas. His interest in medicine began with visits from the curanderos while sick.

Collaborating with primatologist Richard Wrangham, Rodriguez introduced the concept of zoopharmacognosy.

Rodriguez graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with a B.S. in 1969 and a Ph.D. in phytochemistry and plant biology in 1975. Later, at the University of British Columbia, he received medical postdoctoral training in medicinal botany.

Rodriguez has mentored and trained hundreds of underrepresented minority and majority students in the sciences at Cornell University and the University of California, Irvine, many of whom have gone on to careers in medicine, research, and environmental sciences. Cornell University currently has an award named after him called the "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference Travel Award".

Rodriguez is the director of the Cornell University Esbaran Amazon Field Laboratory located in the Amazon rainforest near Iquitos, Peru.

Rodriguez is the founder of the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) program funded by the National Science Foundation. As a result, the CAMP program spread from its home campus, University of California at Irvine, to the 9 other branches of the University of California.