Jason Arday, who made history as Cambridge’s youngest Black professor before resigning last week amid plagiarism accusations, has been found dead at his home in Battersea, south London, with police treating his death as unexpected but not suspicious.
Jason Arday, the former Cambridge University professor, has been found dead at the age of 41. He was found “unresponsive” at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023, had resigned as professor of sociology of education at the university just last week, following a series of reports alleging he had plagiarised his PhD thesis at Liverpool John Moores University.
Police statement
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed the circumstances of his death: “Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers. At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.” The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit, and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
The plagiarism allegations and resignation
Arday stepped down as professor of sociology of education at Cambridge on 4 August, amid the accusations of plagiarism. Beyond the claims relating to his PhD thesis, other assertions he had previously made also came under scrutiny, including claims about raising millions of pounds for charity and running 600 miles in six days.
The University of Cambridge had announced it was launching an investigation into both Arday’s original appointment and his subsequent tenure at the institution. He resigned within hours of that investigation being announced, citing what he described as an “unrelenting level of public scrutiny.”
In his resignation letter to colleagues, Arday wrote: “While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement. The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”
Background and early life
According to a University of Cambridge biography, Arday was diagnosed with a form of autism spectrum disorder that meant he was unable to speak until he was 11 years old, or to read or write until he was 18. He went on to attend college, train as a teacher, and subsequently build an academic career that eventually led to his professorship at the Russell Group university.
Arday was born on 9 May 1985 to Ghanaian parents, and was the third of four brothers, growing up in Clapham, south London. His career was spent entirely within academia, beginning at Leeds Beckett University in 2014, where he worked as a PE specialist while completing his PhD.
His memoir
Arday’s memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, is due to be published on 27 August, though his publisher has faced calls to postpone its release following the controversy surrounding his academic work and his subsequent death.
