Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday was found dead at a residence in Battersea, south London, on Friday, 14 August, just over a week after resigning from his post amid plagiarism allegations.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the address at about 3:12 p.m. by the London Ambulance Service, which said it received the emergency call at 3:06 p.m. and dispatched an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and its Hazardous Area Response Team. Arday, 41, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious, and a report is being prepared for the coroner. His next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from officers, while the case is being handled by the Met’s Central South Command Unit.
Arday, born to Ghanaian parents, grew up in Clapham, south London. He has spoken publicly about being autistic and not learning to read or write until he was 18. He earned a PhD in education from Liverpool John Moores University and went on to hold posts at the University of Roehampton, Durham University and the University of Glasgow, where he was appointed Professor of Sociology of Education in 2021. He joined Cambridge in 2023, becoming, at 37, the university’s youngest-ever Black professor.
He resigned from the Cambridge role on 5 August after weeks of media scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism in his academic work, along with separate questions raised about claims tied to his athletic and fundraising background. Cambridge had announced a review of his appointment and tenure alongside a wider look at how it recruits senior academics. In his resignation statement, Arday said the accusations, speculation and public commentary had taken a toll. His memoir, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” was published in the United States earlier this week and had been due for UK release on 27 August.
In a statement issued through publisher Simon & Schuster UK, Arday’s family said they were in shock at the loss of “this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son,” describing the scrutiny he faced as a campaign of misinformation. Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the university was “desperately saddened” by the news and extended condolences to his family and friends. UK Education Secretary Lucy Powell also offered condolences and appealed for the family’s privacy.
