Former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon, days after resigning his post amid plagiarism allegations he had denied, per bbc.com.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham described his death as “a tragedy on so many levels” and called for “a moment for reflection” rather than judgement.
Arday’s 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,” adding that a “campaign of misinformation” had become too much for him.
Arday resigned as Cambridge’s professor of sociology of education last week after accusations of plagiarism and questions over parts of his life story. He denied plagiarism but acknowledged errors in his early academic work, which he attributed to his autism and reliance on mimicry to process information. He also corrected claims about a 600-mile charity run, saying it had taken 12 days rather than six to allow for rest, and that the £5.5 million raised had involved help from others.
The controversy began after Nathan Cofnas, a self-described “race realist” academic sacked from Cambridge in 2024, alleged he had found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday’s work. Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015, later concluded he had not plagiarised. Cambridge has since announced an independent investigation into the circumstances of his appointment as the university’s youngest-ever black professor, made in 2023 when he was 37.
Announcing his resignation, Arday said the “personal cost” of the scrutiny had become “too great” and that the criticism had gone “far beyond scholarly disagreement,” taking a “profound toll” on him and those he loved. He stressed the resignation should not be read as accepting the narratives surrounding him.
Friends and colleagues described a marked deterioration in recent weeks. Eamonn McCrystal, a friend from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, said Arday had told him it “does not feel like it will” pass. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre, said he spoke to Arday the morning of his death and that Arday had felt unable to leave his house, describing a three-year “campaign against him” that had “destroyed my life.” Professor Kehinde Andrews, a friend and fellow academic, said Arday had lost significant weight and “wasn’t leaving the house.”
Tributes and condemnation of the media coverage followed from across politics and academia. Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the university was “desperately saddened.” Education Secretary Lucy Powell urged people to “remember there are real people with loved ones involved.” London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said Arday had faced “an unacceptable public hounding” and “a pernicious public shaming.” University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said the harassment and racism Arday faced “must be investigated.” National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said the episode risked telling black professionals that “entering prominent public positions will make you a target.” Lord Paul Boateng, the UK’s first black cabinet minister, said racism in academia “needs to be addressed.” Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy and shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly also criticised the scale of scrutiny Arday faced, with Cleverly saying institutions had “serious questions to answer.”