Prof M. A. Kalam is an Indian social anthropologist and sociologist known for his scholarly publications on migration, ethnicity, minorities, diversity and the sociology of development. Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD), Thiruvananthapuram, and at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. Additionally, he serves as a Distinguished Fellow at The Peninsula Foundation, a think tank in Chennai, and as Honorary Professor (Designate) at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad.

In the past, he held several senior academic and administrative positions at Indian universities. Prof Kalam served as Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology, and subsequently became the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Madras. Following this, he was Professor of Eminence at Tezpur University, Assam. He later took on the role of founding Dean (Administration and Regulatory Affairs) at Krea University. His international academic engagements have included fellowships at Duke University, Harvard University, the London School of Economics, the University of Paris X, the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris, and the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla. Kalam’s research has involved extensive fieldwork among South Asian migrant communities in Europe and North America.

Dr Kalam is a keen sportsman who has played hockey, cricket, and athletics at professional levels, and is also a qualified cricket umpire.   Apart from sports, he is an avid photographer who has won the UNESCO Photography Prize for Asia and the Pacific. Dr Kalam has participated in the TV rounds of the BBC Mastermind Quiz.