My advice to young statisticians is to not be afraid to ask questions. First, it is an excellent way to learn. Take advantage of the different experiences and expertise of those around you. Second, the context of official statistics is ever evolving. Asking questions allows you to understand the current situation and priorities in order to develop an appropriate approach. In my experience, the most interesting solutions arise when the team is willing to question the status quo.

Official statistics are the backbone of the informed society, hence the democracy. For this reason, it is very important that official statisticians focus not only on the production and dissemination of official statistics bust also in the research and development of novel methodologies. Without this research the quality will not match the standards of the society and the statistics will lose relevance. I think that YSP is a great initiative to motivate young statisticians to conduct research and to promote their work. Even if you do not win just by participating, I believe that you will increase your knowledge incredibly.

Innovation in Official Statistics is the key to keeping the NSIs as fundamental references. Awards such as the YSP are an additional boost and motivation for the new generations of statisticians. In our case, I consider that the second place in the YSP is a sign for Spain that, if there is a will on the part of the organizations and the necessary resources are allocated to promote research, innovative and quality projects can be developed that meet the demands of an increasingly digital and datified society.

I am glad of having been given the opportunity by the IAOS to share our ideas about how machine learning can be used to improve timeliness in official statistics. This competition allows young statisticians to propose any idea about official statistics without limiting the creativity or the audacity of the contestants.

During the making of the paper, we learned about official statistics and machine learning and shared many interesting ideas among the team and with our mentors in the methodology department, whose ideas and advice were priceless.

Official statistics are the to-go source for accurate information about population. Policy makers rely on official statistics to make informed decisions. Therefore, we need to continue to produce unbiased and precise estimates for the benefit of the society. The Young Statisticians Prize inspired me to tackle the challenge of bridging two sets of U.S. health official statistics on the same quantity of interest. I hope other young statisticians working on important official statistics problems submit their papers for this competition to share their innovative ideas and get feedback from their peers.

The Young Statisticians Prize has inspired and encouraged young statisticians like me to publish works in the field of official statistics. We have some greater challenges nowadays as a result of the rapid changes in the world, such as those triggered by digitalisation and globalisation. Those challenges must motivate young statisticians to keep learning, exploring, and developing new methods so that, as statisticians, we can contribute to the development of official statistics.

IAOS President 2021-2023

IAOS President 2019-2021

IAOS President 2017-2019

Advisor to the IAOS President

IAOS President 1989-1991

IAOS President 2009-2011

Coordinating the IAOS Young Statisticians Prize Competition

IAOS President 2001-2003

IAOS President 2013-2015