Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Dies Amid Plagiarism Allegations, Social Media Blames Race

Cambridge University is still reeling after former professor Jason Arday, who resigned after facing plagiarism allegations, was found dead at 41.

Deborah Prentice, vice-chancellor at the University of Cambridge, confirmed Arday’s death in a statement Friday, saying the university was “desperately saddened to hear this tragic news” and extending condolences to his family and friends.

On Friday afternoon, London Metropolitan Police responded to a report of a man found unresponsive. Arday was pronounced dead at the scene, and his family was notified. While police didn’t initially identify Arday, Cambridge made the announcement that it was in fact the former professor of sociology of education, BBC reports.

Arday’s death has been complicated by conversations around Black scholarship and Black excellence in white spaces. 

“Arday joined Cambridge in 2023 as the youngest Black professor of sociology of education at the university. His academic work focused heavily on race, inequality and social mobility, and his appointment was viewed as a significant milestone in British academia,” TMZ reports. 

And while many celebrated Arday’s achievements, his tenure was under intense scrutiny in recent months. There were allegations that surfaced around Arday’s academic work. Initially, Cambridge stood behind him, but after the Times of London did a deep dive on his 2015 doctoral thesis, reporting that certain passages appeared “identical or near-identical” to material published earlier by another researcher, the university folded. 

Other outlets also made claims about Arday’s reported charitable fundraising and athletic accomplishments. 

“Among the claims under scrutiny was his assertion that he had raised approximately $7.4 million for charity through athletic competitions, including an account that he had completed 30 marathons in 35 days,” TMZ reports.

Cambridge announced Aug. 5 that they would be investigating Arday’s “qualifications and honorary appointments.” He subsequently resigned from his position.

Despite the controversy surrounding the final months of his career, Arday’s death marks a sudden end to the life of a scholar who had risen rapidly through the British academic world and became a prominent voice on race and inequality.

He was 41.

See social media’s reaction to his passing below.