Former Cambridge sociology professor Jason Arday was found dead in south London on Friday, days after resigning from the university after being accused of plagiarism.
Arday, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Metropolitan Police. Authorities said his death was unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious.
Recommended Stories
“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene,” a Metropolitan Police spokesman told the Telegraph. “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 police continued. “The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Arday resigned from his position at the University of Cambridge on Aug. 5 after weeks of scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism in his academic work and allegations that he made false claims regarding his athletic and academic accomplishments.
He became a professor at Cambridge in 2023 at age 37, making him the university’s youngest black professor. His appointment brought him considerable public recognition, particularly for his academic career after overcoming significant challenges.
Born in London to Ghanaian immigrants, Arday was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia, which he claimed left him nonvocal until he was 11. But, despite this, Arday went on to earn three degrees before joining Jesus College, Cambridge, in 2023.
Questions about Arday’s academic qualifications were raised publicly last month by Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher who left the university after criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
On July 24, the Times of London published an analysis of Arday’s 2015 doctoral thesis that identified what it described as multiple passages “identical or near-identical” to an earlier paper by another researcher.
Arday denied the accusations but said he stepped down due to the intense levels of public scrutiny he was facing.
Arday’s resignation was the most recent is a series of higher education scandals involving accusations of plagiarism.
Former Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation in January 2024 over accusations of plagiarism and backlash for her response at a congressional hearing in December to questions about antisemitism on U.S. college campuses. The Harvard Corporation said it found two additional examples of “duplicative language without appropriate attribution.”
Cambridge professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the university’s Autism Research Centre, told the BBC he was in touch with Arday hours before his death. Baron-Cohen said that Arday had believed “there was a racist playbook to discredit Black academics in universities, and that they used accusations of plagiarism to try and bring down Black academics.”
Youngest Black professor at Cambridge resigns as university investigates allegations of plagiarism
Christopher Rufo said, who has led conservative attacks on DEI both in business and in education, said at the time of Gay’s resignation that, “This is the poison” of diversity, equity and inclusion ideology. “Rather than take responsibility for minimizing antisemitism, committing serial plagiarism, intimidating the free press, and damaging the institution, she calls her critics racist.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Saturday that Arday’s death was “a tragedy on so many levels,” adding that “it’s not a moment for any rushing to judgment. It’s a moment for reflection, I would say.”
