Cambridge's youngest black professor, Jason Arday, dies
What's the story
Jason Arday, a former professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge, was found dead on Friday afternoon, the BBC reported. Emergency services discovered him "unresponsive" at an address in Battersea, south London. His death is currently being treated as unexpected by the Metropolitan Police but is not believed to be suspicious.
Family statement
'An amazing father, partner, brother, uncle, and son'
Arday's family expressed their shock and grief in a statement, calling him "an amazing father, partner, brother, uncle, and son."
They said he was a "gentle man" who always wanted to see the best in everyone.
Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice also expressed her sadness at the news. She extended her sympathies to Arday's family and friends during this difficult time.
Controversial exit
Resignation over plagiarism allegations
Arday had resigned from his position at Cambridge last week amid allegations of plagiarism and questions about his achievements.
He denied the allegations but admitted to some errors in his work.
The controversy started when Nathan Cofnas, a self-defined "race realist" and former Cambridge affiliate, alleged he found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday's work.
Defense stance
Defense against the allegations
Arday defended himself by attributing some errors in his early work to his autism, which made him rely on mimicry to understand information.
He stressed that similar scrutiny could find errors in other academics' work too.
Arday was appointed Cambridge's youngest black professor at 37 in 2023, a move hailed as progressive.
Before joining Cambridge, he was an associate professor at Durham University and a professor at the University of Glasgow.
Public discourse
Debate over media scrutiny
Arday's death has sparked a debate on the level of media scrutiny he faced after his resignation.
Jolyon Maugham from the Good Law Project called his death "a tragedy" and questioned the public interest in hounding him post-resignation.
Kehinde Andrews, a Professor of Black Studies and friend of Arday, said he was "very down" after resigning from Cambridge and had lost a lot of weight.
Institutional response
Former employers express shock and sadness
Arday's former employers, Durham University and the University of Glasgow, have also expressed their shock and sadness at his death.
Durham University described him as "a kind and warm person." The University of Glasgow said its thoughts are with his friends and family.
Last weekend, Arday had canceled an event promoting his memoir Great And Unfortunate Things, which tells the story of his life from being non-verbal until age 11 to becoming a professor at Cambridge.