[1][2] Military service during World War II interrupted Malouf's work on a doctorate in anthropology at Columbia University.
Shortly after graduation in 1948, Malouf was offered a faculty position at the University of Montana in Missoula and he, Arline, and their four young children returned to the west.
Malouf was an avid researcher in the fields of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Native American Studies.
In 1969, Malouf, along with 150 other education specialists, was invited to the White House to a conference for the development of the Head Start Program.
Later, he and his wife toured reservations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to provide information and ideas to administrators for the new programs.