Louis will report to Census Bureau director Robert Groves and replaces Roderick Little. He is currently professor of biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, and a fellow of the American Statistical Association and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His new job will see him leading a directorate of research centres, each devoted to domains of investigation important to the future of social and economic statistical information. They include the Center for Adaptive Design, Center for Administrative Records Research and Acquisition, Center for Disclosure Avoidance Research, Center for Economic Studies, Center for Statistical Research and Methodology and Center for Survey Measurement.

Groves said. “Dr Louis will add to the innovation Dr Little brought to the position over his successful leadership. He will, no doubt, increase the rate of scientific discoveries, which permits the Census Bureau to do its work more efficiently.”