Balu I is an academic, researcher, and development professional with extensive experience across research institutions, higher education, and policy-oriented consulting. He has worked as a Research Associate at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), served as an Assistant Professor at the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), and contributed as a Consultant at the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). He is a Life Member of the Indian Sociological Society and the Tamil Nadu Career Counsellors Association.

His project portfolio spans governance, disaster risk reduction, gender, livelihoods, and youth development. Key engagements include the European Union–funded project on Mainstreaming Gender Rights in Leadership at Panchayati Raj Institutions; Coastal Conservation and Livelihood Development with DHAN Foundation (Governance); the UNDP-supported Accelerated Livelihood Support (GOALS) programme; UNICEF’s Child-Centric Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) initiative; and multiple skill development programmes for rural youth.

He has an extensive publication record in the areas of disaster management, climate change adaptation, youth and child participation, governance, and leadership. His authored and co-authored works include Child-Centric Disaster Risk Reduction in the Indian Context (Bloomsbury, 2024); Child Centric Disaster Risk Reduction: Priorities, Preparedness, and Resilience (Bloomsbury, 2023); Disaster Management and Climate Change Adaptation: Present and Potential Strategy for the Future (Himalaya Publishing House, 2023); Youth Participation in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation (Uday Publishing House, 2023); Engaging Youth and Adolescents in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (Scientific International Publishing House, 2022); Child Centric Disaster Risk Reduction (Sunmarg Publishers, 2022); Disaster Risk Reduction: Teaching Environmental Concerns (Shipra Publications, 2022); Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in India: Emerging Challenges and the Way Forward (Bloomsbury India, 2022); Women Leadership in Local Governance (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2019); Towards Direct Democracy (Scibay Publications, 2017); and Training Programmes for Police in Disaster Risk Reduction, published in the International Handbook of Disaster Research (Springer Nature, 2022).

Beyond his professional and academic pursuits, he enjoys travelling and trekking.