Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Amid Plagiarism Row

Cambridge (GNP): Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor who was at the centre of a plagiarism controversy, has died at the age of 41. Arday had resigned earlier this month as a professor of sociology of education following the accusations, which caused a wide reaction across academic circles. He was the university’s youngest-ever Black professor.

He was found unresponsive by the ambulance service at a property in Battersea, south London. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and that his next-of-kin had been informed and were being supported by officers. Police said his death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious, with the case under investigation by the Met’s Central South Command Unit.

The University of Cambridge had announced an investigation earlier this week into the circumstances of Arday’s appointment to the Faculty of Education in 2022 and his time there since. Arday, a high-profile academic who appeared frequently in the media, faced accusations this year that parts of his 2015 PhD thesis were plagiarised, allegations he denied.

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The claims later expanded to include apparent inconsistencies in his other academic work, along with questions over statements he had made about his career, personal life, and medical conditions.

Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said the university was saddened by the news and extended sympathies to Arday’s family and friends. Britain’s education secretary, Lucy Powell, also said she was saddened to learn of his death.

Arday’s family, in a statement provided by his publisher, Simon & Schuster UK, said they were in shock and described him as a gentle man who always wanted to see the best in everyone. They said the misinformation surrounding him had become too much for him to bear, and asked the press to respect their privacy and end what they described as a prolonged campaign of harassment against him and his family.