Economist Gregory Acs has been named the new director of the Urban Institute's Income and Benefits Policy Center.

A member of the Income and Benefits Policy Center's research team for 20 years, Acs rose from a research associate to a senior fellow before leaving in 2010 to work at the Congressional Budget Office, where he was the unit chief for labor and income security in the Health and Human Resources Division. He returned to the Urban Institute in February.

Acs's research has focused on social insurance, social welfare, employment, economic mobility, worker compensation, and welfare's effects on family composition. In addition to his work at the Urban Institute, Acs is a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management's policy council, and a research affiliate at the University of Michigan's National Poverty Center. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Employment Instability, Family Well-being, and Social Policy Research Network at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. Acs earned his Ph.D. in economics and social work from the University of Michigan.