Former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism found dead

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN

(CNN) — Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor, was found dead in London on Friday, just days after resigning over questions surrounding his career.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told CNN that a 41-year old man was found unresponsive in Battersea in south London and was later pronounced dead at the scene. While the force did not name Arday, British media widely reported that he was the man found dead in Battersea in London.

Arday, a sociologist, was celebrated as the youngest ever Black professor at Cambridge until last month, when allegations of plagiarism in his academic work and questions surrounding claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments began to swirl in the media.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said in a statement on Friday that the university was “desperately saddened to hear this tragic news.”

“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” she added in the statement posted on X.

When Arday resigned in early August, he defended himself, saying his decision to step down “should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship.”

“Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me’” he said. “It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

‘A tragedy for him and those who loved him’

News of his death on Friday sent shockwaves online, with many criticizing some of coverage that led to and followed his resignation.

“Quite a bit of the British media should ask themselves some serious questions as to whether the tenor and volume of the coverage they gave to this man was remotely proportionate,” journalist Lewis Goodall said on X.

The Good Law Project, a campaign group that has supported Arday since the allegations first emerged, said Arday’s death was “a tragedy for him and those who loved him.”

The group’s executive director Jo Maugham said in a statement that people around Arday “had been warning the media that this was a risk.”

“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,” he added.

Lucy Powell, UK’s Secretary of State for Education, said she was “shocked and saddened” to hear about Arday’s death. “My heartfelt condolences are with his friends and family at this very sad time. I urge people to give them privacy through this incredibly difficult period (and) to remember there are real people with loved ones involved.”

Cambridge initially stood by Arday when questions about his qualifications were raised publicly by the British press and a one-time philosophy researcher who left the university after his critique of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The university said at the time that the plagiarism allegations had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday’s doctorate.

The university later opened an investigation into “new information” about his academic qualifications, “following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments,” it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the university said that Durham and Glasgow Universities were also investigating the circumstances surrounding Arday’s academic posts there.

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CNN’s Hira Humayun contributed reporting.