UNEXPECTED

Youngest Black Professor’s Plagiarism Scandal Takes Tragic Twist

Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge sociology professor, resigned last week.

A University of Cambridge professor who resigned last week amid plagiarism accusations has reportedly been found dead.

Jason Arday, who taught sociology of education, was pronounced dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon, according to The Telegraph.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the outlet in a statement that officers were called by the London Ambulance Service shortly after 3 p.m.

“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers,” the spokesperson said. “At this time, his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the Metropolitan Police for comment.

In a statement, a University of Cambridge spokesperson said, “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Glasgow University, where Arday had previously taught, also acknowledged his death.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of our former colleague Professor Jason Arday,” a spokesperson said. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his friends and family at this desperately sad time.”

Arday, who was born in London, is survived by his wife, Debbie McKenzie, and their two children.

Arday, who in 2023 became the youngest Black professor in the university’s history, had been the subject of plagiarism accusations stemming from a Substack post by University of Ghent philosopher Nathan Cofnas.

Cofnas claimed that in Arday’s PhD thesis, “many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copyediting mistakes from the original source.”

The Telegraph later reported that more than 100 passages resembled a thesis published six years earlier by a Brunel University student. The Guardian also reported on Arday’s alleged plagiarism, as well as apparent discrepancies in his personal life, such as his claim that he had run 600 miles in six days. He admitted to the outlet that the actual number of days was double that.

In an interview last month with The Times, which corroborated findings of plagiarism, Arday said, “I am accountable for the mistakes I’ve made.”

“I hold myself accountable and other people should hold me accountable,” he added. “We’re talking about academia here. I didn’t murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced, and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist, is totally unacceptable.”

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Arday also cited “complex learning disabilities” and his alleged autism for his errors.

Arday’s memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things—which he co-wrote with Eve Claxton—was released in the U.S. on Aug. 11, and is scheduled for U.K. publication on Aug. 27.

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