Former Cambridge Professor Discovered Dead Following Resignation Over Plagiarism Claims

Torchbearer Jason Arday carries the Olympic Flame on the Torch Relay leg between Sutton and Merton, in London on July 23, 2012. Joe Giddens/LOCOG/PA via APA British sociologist who resigned last week from his position as a professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge following sustained accusations of plagiarism was found dead Friday, according to British media reports.Jason Arday, 41, had endured intense media pressure for weeks prior to his death. Allegations centered on plagiarism in his academic work. Doubts also swirled around claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments.Arday became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, when he was 37.Metropolitan Police said a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead in Battersea. Police did not release any names, a practice in line with its standard policy, nor have they indicated any suspicion of foul play.“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious,” the police statement said.No further official updates on the cause of death have been released in the initial reports.In the statement announcing his resignation, Arday cited the effects of the accusations on his personal life.“While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement,” Arday said in a statement earlier this month. “The relentless accusations, speculation, and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”Supporters rejected the claims. More than two dozen academics and politicians described the plagiarism allegations as nothing more than a “smear campaign” to undermine Arday and other black people who had attained “positions of influence.”Arday’s family said they were “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle, and son” in a statement issued by his publisher, Simon & Schuster U.K.“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone,” the family said, highlighting that for three years Arday had been “subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse … by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.”Arday’s 2023 appointment at Cambridge drew widespread coverage partially because of his personal story. He spoke of overcoming dyslexia, developmental delays, and autism. He claimed those conditions left him nonverbal until the age of 11 and illiterate until his late teens.The Associated Press contributed to this report.