Embattled ex-Cambridge University professor Jason Arday was found dead Friday after quitting his job at the school over allegations that he plagiarized and lied about past jobs, according to a report.
Arday, 41 — the youngest ever black professor at the lauded university— was found “unresponsive” in his south London home and later pronounced dead at the scene, according to the UK Telegraph.
“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers,” a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told the paper.
“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice expressed sympathy over his death Friday.
“We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” Prentice said in a statement.
The sociology professor, who became a poster boy for diversity, resigned from the job on Aug. 5 as the school launched an investigation into accusations that he plagiarized parts of his Ph.D dissertation and lied about positions he held at other schools.
He cited an “unrelenting level of public scrutiny” as his reason for resigning.
“[It’s] simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure,” he said at the time.
Arday had faced allegations that he lifted more than 100 passages in his dissertation from another academic, Brunel University student Paula Zwozdiak-Myers.
Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, published a Substack article last month detailing several examples in which Arday’s doctoral dissertation appeared to be plagiarized.
An analysis later showed more than 100 passages in his thesis reportedly appeared to be similar to or lifted from the thesis of Zwozdiak-Myers.
Arday then came under fire for allegedly falsely claiming to have held three positions at academic institutions — Ohio State University, University of Glasgow and Durham University — on his official biography page for Cambridge University.
Before launching an investigation, the school initially stood behind the professor, claiming he was a victim of a “vile campaign to undermine his credibility.”
Arday — who said he was autistic, epileptic and a former pro soccer player — had admitted to a series of errors in his work, but insisted he was not a “liar and fantasist.”
Arday had also been accused of lying about his seemingly unbelievable list of personal accomplishments, including “running 30 marathons in just 35 days,” raising millions of dollars for charity, and playing professional snooker.
Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor at age 37, also said he had autism spectrum disorder and was nonverbal until age 11.
