In March 1921 he was made director of the newly founded Institute of Science and Industry, a forerunner to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). At the 1921 meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science Knibbs was president of the Social and Statistical Science Section, and took as the subject of his address "Statistics in regard to World and Empire development".
In March 1921, he was appointed director of the Institute of Science and Industry, which later became the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). At the 1921 meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, Knibbs served as president of the Social and Statistical Science Section, delivering a speech titled "Statistics in relation to World and Empire development".