LONDON (Web Desk) — Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor who recently resigned amid questions over his academic career, was found dead in London on Friday.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told CNN that a 41-year-old man was found unresponsive in Battersea, south London, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Although police did not identify the man, British media widely reported that he was Arday.
Arday, a sociologist, had been celebrated as the youngest Black professor at Cambridge. His career came under scrutiny last month following allegations of plagiarism in his academic work and questions over claims related to his athletic and fundraising achievements.
Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said the university was “desperately saddened” by the news.
“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” she said in a statement posted on X.
Arday resigned from his position in early August. At the time, he defended his decision to step down, saying it should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or as an acceptance of the allegations and narratives surrounding him.
“It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure,” he said.
Calls for scrutiny of media coverage
Arday’s death prompted widespread reaction online, with some commentators questioning the intensity of media coverage that preceded and followed his resignation.
Journalist Lewis Goodall said on X that parts of the British media should examine whether the “tenor and volume” of their coverage of Arday had been proportionate.
The Good Law Project, a campaign group that had supported Arday after the allegations emerged, described his death as “a tragedy for him and those who loved him.”
The group’s executive director, Jo Maugham, said people close to Arday had warned the media about the potential risks of continued coverage.
“I do not understand what the public interest was in continuing to hound him after he resigned as a professor,” Maugham said, while also questioning what risk assessments media organisations had carried out.
UK Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she was “shocked and saddened” by Arday’s death and offered condolences to his family and friends, urging people to respect their privacy.
Universities investigate academic career
Cambridge initially defended Arday when questions over his qualifications were raised publicly by British media and a former philosophy researcher who had left the university after criticising its diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
The university said the plagiarism allegations had previously been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday his doctorate.
Cambridge later launched an investigation after receiving “new information” concerning Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments.
Earlier this week, the university also said Durham and Glasgow universities were investigating the circumstances surrounding Arday’s academic positions there.
The circumstances surrounding Arday’s death have not been publicly disclosed.