Scientific and Technical policies in Argentina. As an Applied Survey Statistician has a vast international experience in the organization of National Statistical Systems as well as in the planning, administration and execution of Censuses and Survey Programmes on a variety of fields, for example: agriculture, livestock, population and housing, fisheries, industry, economy, forestry, health, epidemiology, women status, environment, and education. His main interest as a survey statistician has been the introduction and dissemination of probability sampling survey methods to conduct baseline national statistics in many countries in four continents: is specialization is on complex survey designs to conduct large-scale surveys, designs that include Area Sampling and Multiple survey frames and involve the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite images and photos, remote sensing technology, and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), that is, statistical designs with a very strong emphasis on the application of informatics. In his character of International Statistical Consultant, has work experience almost worldwide. He worked in more than fifty countries where he has undertaken advisory and training missions, delivered lectures, participated, organized and chaired around 80 international statistical, scientific and technical meetings and seminars.

González-Villalobos is Academician (Fellow member) of the National Academy of Sciences, Argentina, and also elected member of the Academy’s Institute of Research and Development ‘Dr. Amílcar E. Argüelles’, and Director of its Center of Mathematics, Statistics, and its Applications. In this character, he works on problems related to the promotion of Science and Technology.

Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI)-The Netherlands-, ISI Council member during the period 1997-2001, founding member of ISI’s Gregor-Johann Mendel Committee on Agricultural Statistics, member of the International Association of Survey Statisticians (IASS)-The Netherlands-, IASS Vice-President for two periods 1987-1989 and 2003-2005, elected Member of the IASS Council for the period (2011-2015), and previously member of the Program Committee for the 2001 ISI Session in Seoul, Korea; member of the International Association of Official Statistics (IAOS)-The Netherlands-, of the “International Association for Statistical Education” (IASE)-The Netherlands-, Fellow member of the Argentine Association for the Advancement of Science (AAPC)-Argentina- and Council member for the period (2007-2009), and elected member de la Argentine Scientific Society (Sociedad Científica Argentina); as well as honorary member of other professional associations and editorial boards.

González-Villalobos has been Senior Statistician in the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) Statistics Division, in Rome, from 1992 to 2003. He was then in charge of Survey and Census Methods, the World Census of Agriculture Programme, which involved publications on statistical methods, classifications and international standards for the planning and execution of national agricultural censuses & surveys; maintenance of a worldwide agricultural census database; formulation and supervision of a number of statistical projects and activities in countries of Africa, America, Asia and Europe; application of remote sensing technology to agricultural statistics; and organization of international seminars and workshops on statistical methods and practices.

González-Villalobos has been: General Manager of the 1991 Population and Housing Census of Argentina at the National Statistical Institute of Argentina in Buenos Aires (1990-1992); General Manager at the National Space Research Institute in Brazil (INPE), responsible for the direction of Brazil's Current Agricultural Statistics Program (San José dos Campos, 1985-1989). Head of the Census Methodology Area for the 1985 National Census of Industries and the Evaluation Survey for the 1985 Economic Censuses of Argentina (1984-1985). Head of the Population Census Methodology Area in charge of the census implementation, survey design, data analysis and publication of results for the 1980 Population & Housing Census of Argentina (1980-1982). Permanent Statistical Advisor to the Technical Director's Cabinet at the Brazilian National Statistical Institute (IBGE) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1974-1980). He has also been Statistical Consultant of international and national organizations for the design and organization of a wide range of large-scale national surveys and censuses in many countries: Consultant for the FAO, the IADB, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Office (ILO), the UNESCO, among others; and Research Scientist at the National Research Council of Argentina, as well as for private corporations. Previously, as a mathematician and statistician, he lectured or was Visiting Scholar in several universities and research institutes: The University of Chicago (USA), the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), the University of Brasilia (Brazil), and the National School of Statistical Sciences -ENCE- (Río de Janeiro, Brazil), among others.

González-Villalobos has written several books and more than eighty papers on statistical methods for conducting censuses and surveys, stochastic processes, probability theory and Fourier series and integrals. His two-volume book entitled Multiple Frame Agricultural Surveys, has been published and translated in six languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French and Spanish, and has been adopted as a reference book on agricultural surveys in many countries. Moreover, the book Multiple Frame Agricultural Surveys has been quoted by recognized statisticians as a landmark in the field of agricultural statistics, and is possibly the most used textbook in the world in its field.


Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and having Argentinean and French citizenships. He has working knowledge of several languages. He received his M.Sc. (Master of Science) and Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Mathematics from The University of Chicago.