David Dabydeen is director of the Centre for Caribbean Studies and emeritus professor at the Centre for British Comparative Cultural Studies, University of Warwick. As a 2020–21 Global Public Voices fellow, he is collaborating with Tao Leigh Goffe.

His research specializations include the British empire, South Asian history, colonialism, and migration. Dabydeen is a renowned critic, novelist, and poet. His novels include Molly and the Muslim Stick and Our Lady of Demarara. He was awarded the Raja Rao Award for literature in 2004, the Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) Award for his contribution to literature about the Indian diaspora in 2007, and the Anthony Sabga Prize for Literature in 2008.