Dr. Balajee has been working in the field of radiation biology for more than 20 years with special emphasis on radiation biodosimetry and radiation induced biological effects in diverse human and mouse model systems. After obtaining his Ph.D. degree in Molecular Cytogenetics from Banaras Hindu University in India, Dr. Balajee did his post-doctoral training at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands on ultraviolet induced DNA damage and repair. Dr. Balajee joined as a visiting fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Baltimore in 1994 where he focused on the role of human RecQ helicases in cancer and premature aging. Prior to joining REAC/TS, Dr. Balajee worked for 16 years at the Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY and served as the PI on many federally funded research projects to elucidate the molecular mechanisms for low dose radiation induced DNA damage and repair in human cells. 

Dr. Balajee is currently working as the Director of Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory at ORISE-REAC/TS in Oak Ridge since 2015. Dr. Balajee’s current research is focused on developing automated high throughput triage tools for radiological/nuclear mass casualty incidents. Through collaborations with academic institutions within and outside of the USA, Dr. Balajee is developing several AI-based machine learning tools to automate the detection of chromosome anomalies for expediting dose assessment and triage. His future research goal is to identify and characterize cytogenetic fingerprints for radiation induced carcinogenic events which would help in monitoring the stochastic health risks in exposed humans. Dr. Balajee has published several original research and review articles in peer-reviewed high impact journals such as Cell, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Journal of Cell Biology and Nature Communications. Dr. Balajee reviews original research and review articles on diverse aspects of radiation biology and cancer for many well-known scientific journals such as Cancer Research, Nucleic Acids Research and Radiation Research. Dr. Balajee has served as the guest editor of a few special issues on DNA repair, aging and biodosimetry for the journals of Mutation Research and Cytogenetic and Genome Research. Dr. Balajee serves as the Associate Editor for the journals of Frontiers in Oncology, Frontiers in Public Health and Cytogenetic and Genome research. Dr. Balajee has given numerous invited lectures on radiation biology and biodosimetry at national and international conferences/workshops.