International Statistical Institute to be chaired by Brazilian

For the first time since its foundation in 1885, the International Statistical Institute (ISI), headquartered in the Netherlands, will be chaired by a Brazilian national. A researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Pedro Luís do Nascimento Silva takes over as ISI president on Friday (July 31) during the closing session of the 60th World Statistics Congress in Rio, for a two-year term.

The ISI is the world's oldest and most important international association of statisticians, with a current 5,000 hip and 2,000 elected from 140 countries. The new chair wants to breath fresh air into the organization by building younger member engagement. According to him, interest in pursuing a statistical career has grown in recent years in Brazil – and the job market is appealing indeed. “You will hardly find a statistician who didn't get a job as soon as they graduated,” Pedro Luís Silva explained.

The researcher sees his election at ISI as a promising opportunity to give more visibility to the career in Brazil. “I hope that young Brazilians feel inspired by the stories of some of us [Brazilian statisticians] who achieved prominent statuses in the national or international communities, and use their commitment and skill to build equally successful careers, contributing to raise recognition of the strong, vibrant statistical community we have here,” he said.

Translated by Mayra Borges