Jason Arday, a former College of Cambridge professor who was on the centre of a plagiarism scandal, has died aged 41.
Arday had resigned earlier this month as a professor of sociology of training following the accusations, which prompted a furore on this planet of academia. He was the college’s youngest ever Black professor.
He was discovered unresponsive by the ambulance service at a property in Battersea, south London.
“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced useless on the scene. His next-of-kin have been knowledgeable and are being supported by officers,” the Metropolitan Police mentioned in a press release.
“Presently his demise is being handled as sudden, however shouldn’t be believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit,” the police mentioned.
The College of Cambridge introduced an investigation earlier this week into the circumstances of Arday’s appointment to the School of Training in 2022 and his time there since.
A high-profile professor who appeared regularly within the media, Arday confronted accusations this 12 months that elements of his 2015 PhD thesis have been plagiarised, which he denied.
The allegations expanded to incorporate obvious inconsistencies in Arday’s different educational work, and questions over his claims about his profession, private life and medical situations.
“We’re desperately saddened to listen to this tragic information. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s household and pals at this extremely tough time,” Cambridge’s Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice mentioned in a press release.
Britain’s training secretary, Lucy Powell, mentioned she was saddened to listen to the information of Arday’s demise.
His household mentioned they have been in shock.
“The marketing campaign of misinformation was an excessive amount of for Jason, who was a delicate man and who all the time needed to see the perfect in everybody,” the household mentioned in a press release offered by Arday’s writer, Simon & Schuster UK.
“We can’t remark additional at this level past asking the press to depart us alone now, and to cease the marketing campaign of harassment which has been waged towards Jason and his household for too lengthy.”
