About our Jason Arday news
Latest news on Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor found dead in Battersea days after resigning over plagiarism claims.
Jason Arday was a British sociologist who became the University of Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, at the age of 37. He specialised in the sociology of education, researching racial inequality across British universities. Before Cambridge, he held professorships at the University of Glasgow and Durham University, and worked at the University of Roehampton.
Arday was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea, south London, on the afternoon of 14 August. The Metropolitan Police said a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and his next of kin have been informed. Officers said his death is being treated as unexpected but is not currently regarded as suspicious, and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
Arday has said he grew up in Clapham, south London, to Ghanaian parents, and has described not speaking until he was 11 and not reading or writing until he was 18. He has said he was diagnosed as autistic and has spoken about overcoming developmental delays to reach academia. He has also said that in 2010 he ran 30 marathons in 35 days for charity, a fundraising feat he has linked to carrying the Olympic torch in 2012. These personal and athletic claims have themselves come under the same scrutiny as his academic record.
Arday resigned as Cambridge professor of sociology of education, and from his fellowship at Jesus College, on 4 August, after weeks of plagiarism allegations. A researcher claimed sections of Arday's PhD thesis, awarded by Liverpool John Moores University, closely resembled earlier work by another academic. Liverpool John Moores had previously investigated the claims and found no misconduct, but Cambridge later opened its own inquiry into his qualifications and honorary appointments. Arday denied plagiarism, acknowledged some mistakes, and said the scrutiny had taken a serious toll on him and his family.
The circumstances of Arday's death and the outcome of Cambridge's investigation remain unresolved. Follow our Jason Arday feed for verified updates on the coroner's process, the university's findings, and reaction from across academia and public life.
