Dr. M.A. Kalam, a Social Anthropologist, was Professor of Anthropology and Dean, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at SRM University, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.

Also, he was the founding Dean for Administration and Regulatory Affairs, and Professor of Anthropology at Krea University, Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. Kalam has held the Chair of Professor of Eminence at Tezpur Central University, Assam. Prior to that at the University of Madras he was Head of Department and Professor of Anthropology. He was also the Chairperson (Dean) School of Social Sciences, University of Madras, and concurrently an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Ocean and Coastal Studies.

Dr. Kalam was

Rockefeller Resident Fellow at Duke University, USA

Human Rights Fellow at Harvard University,USA and

Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

He was Visiting Professor at Universities in France, and the USA, as also at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad.

He has undertaken anthropological fieldwork among South Asians in England, the USA and France.

Dr. Kalam has extensive administrative experience; he was Member of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). He has also served as a Member of the Expert Group on Diversity Index, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. He was a Member in various committees for the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Kalam has contributed research articles in English and French, and continues to publish extensively not just academically in national and international journals, but also in newspapers / news portals and periodicals.

Dr. Kalam has been a keen sportsman and has represented his college, university and state in Football, Hockey, Cricket and Athletics. He has also served as a cricket umpire for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).

Dr. Kalam was President of the Gwyer Hall Students Union in Delhi University.

He has participated in the TV rounds of the BBC Mastermind Quiz.

He has won the UNESCO Photography Prize for Asia and the Pacific.