Dr. Arun Balachandran

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Arun Balachandran is a postdoctoral research scientist at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, working under Dr. Dan Belsky. He received his PhD in Demography from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, in 2020. Balachandran has a background in economics, holding a master's degree from the Madras School of Economics, India, and has completed pre-doctoral training at the Institute of Social and Economic Change, India. His doctoral research focused on developing new measures of population aging through comparisons between Europe and Asia, with particular emphasis on gender. Currently, he is involved in projects aimed at creating innovative biomarker approaches to assess population aging across various countries, utilizing longitudinal data. His research interests are interdisciplinary, intersecting demography, population aging, quantitative methodology, gender studies, health disparities, and social determinants of health. He has published works in various journals, including Ageing & Society and The Lancet, and has received the KB Pathak Memorial Award from the Indian Association for the Study of Population for his methodological innovations.

Research Interests

Experience

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

2020-01-01 — Present

Columbia Aging Center • New York, NY

Developing new biomarker population-based measures of population aging using longitudinal data.

Awards

#2019

KB Pathak Memorial Award

Requirements for Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:135
Overall
Required:135
GRE General
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution One semester of college-level mathematics (Algebra or above) One semester of introductory Biology Evidence of quantitative and analytical ability
Application Checklist
  • SOPHAS Online Application
  • Official Transcripts
  • Personal Statement (500-1000 words)
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Resume/CV
  • Quantitative & Analytical Assessment
Specialization Notes

Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (MS) options available. GRE is optional for Fall 2026.