Prof K.L Sharma has held important administrative and academic assignments including as professor of Sociology and rector (pro-VC) Jawaharlal Nehru University. A former Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University, and Vice-Chancellor of Jaipur National University, his main areas of interest cover social stratification and mobility, agrarian and tribal movements, sociology of law and small towns.
Author of numerous research papers in prestigious journals and volumes, he has published more than 25 books. Prof. Sharma was honoured by the Swami Parnavanand Saraswati Award in 2002 by the UGC, New Delhi. He was given Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Sociological Society in 2012.