VIENNA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Rafael Mariano Grossi is set to take office as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in early December, according to the website of the IAEA on Wednesday.

In a meeting open to representatives of all IAEA member states, the 35-nation board of governors appointed by acclamation Grossi as director general, to serve for four years from Dec. 3.

The board of governors decision will be submitted for approval to the IAEA general conference, which consists of representatives of all 171 member states. It will meet for a special session on Dec. 2, said the IAEA.

A career diplomat with over 35 years of professional experience in non-proliferation and disarmament, Grossi is currently Argentina's ambassador to Austria and the country's permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, including the IAEA.

He will be the IAEA's sixth head since it was founded in 1957.