Jomo Kwame Sundaram has been Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development in the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) since January 2005, and (Honorary) Research Coordinator for the G24 Intergovernmental Group on International Monetary Affairs and Development since December 2006. In 2007, he was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. He has authored or edited over a hundred books and translated 12 volumes besides writing many academic papers and articles for the media.

Jomo was Professor in the Applied Economics Department, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya until November 2004, Founder Director (1978-2004) of the Institute of Social Analysis (INSAN) and Founder Chair (2001-2004) of IDEAs, International Development Economics Associates (www.ideaswebsite.org) where he now serves on the Advisory Panel. He was also on the Board of the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva (2002-4). He is on the editorial boards of several learned journals. During 2008-2009, he served as adviser to the President of the 63rd United Nations General Assembly, and as a member of the [Stiglitz] Commission of Experts of the President of the United Nations General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System.

Born in Penang, Malaysia, in 1952, Jomo studied at the Penang Free School (PFS, 1964-1966), Royal Military College (RMC, 1967-1970), Yale (1970-1973) and Harvard (1973-1977). He has taught at Science University of Malaysia (USM, 1974), Harvard (1974-1975), Yale (1977), National University of Malaysia (UKM, 1977-1982), University of Malaya (1982-2004), and Cornell (1993). He has also been a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University (1987-1988; 1991-1992) and a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (2004).

Some of his authored or edited book publications include Malaysia’s Political Economy, Tigers in Trouble, Rents, Rent-Seeking and Economic Development: Theory and the Asian Evidence, Malaysian Eclipse: Economic Crisis and Recovery, Globalization Versus Development: Heterodox Perspectives, Southeast Asia's Industrialization, Ugly Malaysians? South-South Investments Abused, Southeast Asian Paper Tigers? Behind Miracle and Debacle, Manufacturing Competitiveness: How Internationally Competitive National Firms And Industries Developed In East Asia, Ethnic Business? Chinese Capitalism in Southeast Asia, Deforesting Malaysia: The Political Economy of Agricultural Expansion and Commercial Logging, M Way: Mahathir’s Economic Policy Legacy, After The Storm: Crisis, Recovery and Sustaining Development in East Asia, Bail-Outs? Capital Controls, Restructuring & Recovery in Malaysia, The Origins of Development Economics, Pioneers of Development Economics, The New Development Economics, the two volumes of The Long Twentieth Century -- Globalization Under Hegemony: The Changing World Economy and The Great Divergence: Hegemony, Uneven Development and Global Inequality, Malaysian Industrial Policy, Policy Matters: Economic And Social Policies To Sustain Equitable Development, Flat World, Big Gaps: Economic Liberalization, Globalization, Poverty and Inequality,, Growth Divergences: Explaining Differences in Economic Performance, Towards Full and Decent Employment, Reforming the International Financial System for Development, Poor Poverty: The Impoverishment of Analysis, Measurement and Policies, Is Good Governance Good for Development? and Globalization and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He is married to Noelle Rodriguez and has three children, Nadia (born 1987, Emil (born 1989) and Leal (born 1990).