Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor who resigned following plagiarism allegations, was found dead on Aug. 14. He was 41.
Arday was found unresponsive Friday afternoon at an address in Battersea, south London. Metropolitan Police said his death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious.
Arday joined Cambridge as a professor of sociology of education in 2023, when he was 37. His appointment drew widespread attention because of his account of overcoming autism, developmental delays, and learning disabilities before entering academia.
His academic record came under renewed scrutiny in July after Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher, publicly accused him of plagiarism. British news organizations subsequently reported alleged similarities between passages in Arday’s 2015 doctoral thesis and an earlier academic paper.
Arday denied committing plagiarism but acknowledged making mistakes in his early academic work. Questions were also raised about claims concerning his charitable fundraising, athletic accomplishments, academic qualifications, and honorary appointments.
Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday his doctorate, had previously investigated allegations surrounding his thesis and concluded that he had not plagiarized. Cambridge later opened its own investigation after receiving what it described as new information.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said on Aug. 12 that the university would independently investigate Arday’s 2022 appointment and his subsequent time at the institution. The inquiry would be “thorough and transparent” and conducted by senior academics from inside and outside Cambridge, she said. Its findings were expected to inform a broader review of senior academic hiring procedures.
Following Arday’s death, his family said in a statement released through publisher Simon & Schuster that they were “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.”
“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, alleging that he had endured “sustained abuse” for more than three years.
Prentice said that the university was “desperately saddened” by the news and extended its sympathies to Arday’s family and friends.
Arday resigned from Cambridge and Jesus College with immediate effect on Aug. 5. In his resignation statement, he said the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary” had taken a profound toll on him and his loved ones.
He said his departure should not “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me,” adding that the personal cost of remaining under scrutiny had become too great.
Arday began his career as a physical education teacher before earning his doctorate. He later held academic positions at Durham University and the University of Glasgow before joining Cambridge.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.