Jason Arday, ex-Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism scandal, found dead

Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor until he resigned recently amid plagiarism accusations. Photo by Anselm Ebulue via Simon & Shuster

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LONDON, England — Black British academic Jason Arday, who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week amid a high-profile plagiarism storm that featured racism claims, was found dead Friday, U.K. media outlets reported.

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Arday, 41, died after being found unresponsive at an address in south London on Friday afternoon, Sky News and other media said, citing a statement from the capital’s Metropolitan Police Service.

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The scandal erupted after some academics and media reports accused Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, of plagiarizing parts of his doctoral thesis.

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The allegations have been seized on by British right-wing newspapers and commentators, who claim that he unfairly benefited from diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies.

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Arday resigned from his Cambridge posts on August 5, shortly after the prestigious British institution announced a probe into the various accusations against him.

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In a letter posted online, he said that quitting was “the only way” to end a “difficult period”, but insisted the decision should not be “mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.”

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The university’s top administrator on Wednesday had called Arday’s alleged wrongdoing “an aberration” and vowed a thorough investigation, while insisting it should not be used “to cast aspersions” on other academics from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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His memoir — “Great and Unfortunate Things” — had been published in the United States the previous day, ahead of its planned release in Britain later this month. It has also attracted scrutiny.

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A statement issued by London’s Metropolitan Police late Friday did not confirm the dead man’s identity.

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It said officers were called by the London Ambulance Service “following a report that a man had been found unresponsive inside a property” in the Battersea neighbourhood.

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“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene,” it added, noting his next-of-kin had been informed.

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“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.

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“The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

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