Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has been found dead in south London, just over a week after resigning from the prestigious university amid allegations concerning his academic credentials.
Newsonspot reports that the Metropolitan Police said Arday was found unresponsive in Battersea on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said his death is currently being treated as unexpected but is not considered suspicious. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.
Arday, who was a Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge, resigned shortly after allegations emerged that parts of his PhD thesis had been plagiarised and that he had overstated some of his personal achievements.
He denied wrongdoing and, in his resignation letter, said he did not accept what he described as the “narratives” surrounding him.
Questions about his academic credentials intensified last month following criticism from former Cambridge researcher Nathan Cofnas. The Times of London subsequently reported similarities between sections of Arday’s 2015 doctoral thesis and an earlier publication by another researcher.
Cambridge had initially defended Arday, noting that plagiarism allegations had previously been investigated and cleared by Liverpool John Moores University, where he obtained his doctorate.
However, the university launched a fresh investigation last week following what it described as “new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments.”
Arday also faced questions over claims that he had helped raise £5.5 million for charity through endurance challenges. He told The Guardian that the funds had been raised collectively over a period of two decades.
The controversy generated strong reactions in Britain, with critics arguing that Arday had benefited unfairly from diversity, equality and inclusion policies. His supporters, including more than two dozen academics and politicians, rejected the allegations as a smear campaign aimed at discrediting Arday and other Black people in influential positions.
In his resignation letter, Arday said the sustained accusations, speculation and public commentary had taken a profound toll on him and those close to him.
His family also condemned what they described as a prolonged campaign of abuse and harassment against him since he joined Cambridge more than three years ago.
The family described Arday as a gentle man who always tried to see the best in people and asked the media to respect their privacy following his death.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice expressed deep sadness over the news and extended her condolences to Arday’s family and friends.
Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death are ongoing, although the death is not currently being treated as suspicious.
