Jadunath Sarkar was a learned scholar, historian and a prolific writer. He maintained a distinguished academic career. In 1892, he won the highest academic honour of Calcutta University—the Premchand Roychand Scholarship—for achieving first class in M. A. Throughout his life, he was associated with various educational institutions such as the Presidency College, Calcutta, Patna College and Banaras Hindu University.

During 1926-28, he served as honorary vice-chancellor of Calcutta University. Apart from these, Jadunath Sarkar held the membership of several distin­guished international educational societies and commissions. Some of these were—Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1923); American Historical Association of Wash­ington (1927); and Royal Historical Society of England (1935).

As an educationist, he promoted academic research and became a founder-member of Indian Historical Records Com­mission. He was also attached to Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Bhartiya Sahitya Parishad and the National Council of Educa­tion. History was Jadunath Sarkar’s main preoccupation. He has to his credit several books on Mughal empire, Maratha supremacy and modern Indian history. Jadunath Sarkar re­ceived several awards for his pioneering research work.