Ex-Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead After Being Accused Of Plagiarism

Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor who recently resigned amid a plagiarism controversy, has been found dead in south London.

Emergency services were called to an address in Battersea on Friday afternoon, where a 41-year-old man was found unresponsive.

The Metropolitan Police said the man’s death was unexpected but was not being treated as suspicious.

Jason Arday stepped down from his position as professor of sociology of education at Cambridge last week following allegations of plagiarism and questions about parts of his academic record.

He denied plagiarising other people’s work but acknowledged that there were errors in some of his earlier academic work.

His family said they were were “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son”.

“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone.”

Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the university was deeply saddened by his death and expressed sympathy to his family and friends.

Prentice said: “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news.”

“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Education Secretary Lucy Powell also said she was “deeply shocked and saddened,” urging people to “remember there are real people with loved ones involved” in the controversy.

The allegations against Jason Arday gained attention after Nathan Cofnas, an academic who describes himself as a “race realist” and was dismissed from Cambridge in 2024, claimed he had discovered several cases of plagiarism in Arday’s work.

Arday denied the plagiarism allegations, explaining that some mistakes in his early academic writing were linked to his autism and his use of mimicry to understand and process information.

He also argued that similar scrutiny could reveal comparable mistakes in the work of other academics.

In an interview earlier this month, Arday said, “We’re talking about academia here. I didn’t murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist is totally unacceptable.” 

Jason Arday became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023 when he was appointed at the age of 37.

His appointment was widely seen as significant because Black professors remain a small minority in British universities.

When he announced his resignation, Arday said the personal impact of the controversy had become too much for him.

He said: “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.”

He maintained that leaving Cambridge should not “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me”.

Cambridge had previously said that claims involving Arday’s doctoral thesis and some published papers had been reviewed.

Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded him his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not committed plagiarism.

However, Cambridge announced an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his appointment earlier this week.

The university said the review would be carried out independently and would examine concerns raised about his recruitment.

In a letter to university staff at the time, Prof Prentice said: “I fully understand the concerns being raised across the university and well beyond it, regarding Jason Arday’s appointment and I share them…

“That investigation, as you say, should be thorough and transparent, and will be carried out independently by senior academics from within and beyond Cambridge.”

Arday’s death has also raised questions about the level of public scrutiny he faced and the responsibility of universities and media organisations when dealing with allegations against individuals.

Jolyon Maugham of the Good Law Project described his death as a tragedy and questioned why public attention on Arday continued after he had resigned.

“I do not understand what the public interest was in continuing to hound him after he resigned as a professor and I do not understand what risk assessments media outlets did,” Maugham added.

Professor Kehinde Andrews, a friend of Arday, said the former academic had been deeply affected by the controversy.

Andrews said Arday had become withdrawn, rarely left his home and had lost a significant amount of weight after leaving Cambridge.

“He was very upset. He felt that there was no way out. He effectively wasn’t leaving the house. He had lost a lost of weight.

“There should be a wakeup call to just how bad black academics actually have it in academia,” Andrews added.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy similarly questioned the extent of media attention surrounding Arday, saying the level of scrutiny directed at an academic was highly unusual.

Before entering academia, Jason Arday worked as a physical education teacher.

He later earned his doctorate at Liverpool John Moores University and held academic positions at Durham University and the University of Glasgow before joining Cambridge.

Glasgow University has also announced a review of Arday’s previous academic work.

Following news of his death, the university said it was shocked and saddened and extended its condolences to his family and friends.

Durham University remembered Arday as a warm and kind person who worked to create opportunities for PhD students.

Arday had also been due to promote his memoir, “Great And Unfortunate Things”, but cancelled an event last weekend.

The book tells the story of his childhood, including his struggles with communication and education, before tracing his eventual rise through academia to become a Cambridge professor.

The book was released in the United States earlier this week and is scheduled for publication in the UK on August 27.

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