Cambridge University’s youngest-ever Black professor, Jason Arday, was found dead at his London home on Friday. The 41-year-old became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023 when appointed to a professorship in sociology of education at age 37.
Arday resigned last week following an investigation into allegations that he plagiarized part of his doctoral dissertation. Police responded to a report of him found unresponsive inside his home on Friday afternoon, pronounced him dead at the scene, and described his passing as “unexpected” but not “suspicious.” His next of kin have been notified and are receiving support from officers.
Arday faced accusations of lifting more than 100 passages from Brunel University student Paula Zwozdiak-Myers’ dissertation in his own work. A postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University published an analysis confirming that significant portions of Arday’s thesis appeared to be copied or adapted from Zwozdiak-Myers’ thesis.
Additionally, Arday allegedly misrepresented his academic history, falsely claiming to have held positions at Ohio State University, the University of Glasgow, and Durham University on his official Cambridge biography page. He had previously disclosed that he has autism spectrum disorder and was nonverbal until age 11, while also stating he is epileptic and a former professional soccer player. Arday admitted to errors in his work but insisted he was not a “liar and fantasist.”
