Cambridge's youngest Black professor found dead a week after resigning over plagiarism claims
Jason Arday, the sociologist who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week due to weeks of plagiarism allegations and intense media scrutiny, was found dead on Friday, Aug 14.
Arday, 41, became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, at age 37. He was found unresponsive at a home in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon, according to the Times, the Telegraph, the BBC and Sky News.
His family, in a statement issued through his publisher Simon & Schuster UK, said they were "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son." They said the "campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone," adding he had endured three years of "sustained abuse" from those seeking to undermine him.
The Metropolitan Police said a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead in Battersea. In line with policy, officers did not name him. "At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious," police said.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice, who had already announced a review of the circumstances of Arday's appointment, said she was "desperately saddened" by the news and offered "heartfelt sympathies" to his family and friends.
In his resignation statement as professor of sociology of education, Arday said "the relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary" had taken "a profound toll" on him and those he loved. He said stepping down should not be read as accepting the narratives against him. He denied plagiarism, though he acknowledged some mistakes in his doctoral work.
More than two dozen academics and politicians had backed him, calling the allegations a "smear campaign" aimed at undermining Black people in senior roles.
Arday's rise had drawn attention partly for his personal story: he has said he was non-verbal until age 11 and illiterate until his late teens, having overcome dyslexia, developmental delays and autism.
Cambridge investigates plagiarism claims
The questions began last month, raised publicly by Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher who left the university after his criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes prompted protests.
On July 24, the Times published an analysis of Arday's 2015 PhD thesis, pointing to passages it said were "identical or near-identical" to an earlier paper by another researcher. Separately, British media questioned his claims to have raised $7.4 million for charity through feats including 30 marathons in 35 days and 600 miles in six days.
Dozens of Cambridge academics signed a letter demanding an independent inquiry into his appointment. The university initially defended Arday, noting the plagiarism claims had already been examined by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded his doctorate. It later reversed course, opening an investigation "following new information about Professor Arday's qualifications and honorary appointments."
Prentice said this week that Cambridge would review its hiring processes, stressing that "our staff of color are highly valued, for their scholarship, their achievements and the contributions they make to the institution and the wider academic community." She called the case "an aberration" that should not cast doubt on the legitimacy of other staff of colour at Cambridge.
