Jason Arday, Cambridge Professor Accused of Plagiarism, Reported Dead

A 41-year-old man was found dead on Friday at a London home connected to Jason Arday, the former Cambridge University scholar whose remarkable rise to stardom was followed by a rapid fall from grace.

The Metropolitan Police of London said in a statement that an ambulance had been called to a residence in South London on Friday afternoon after a report that the man had been found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police did not confirm the man’s identity, in keeping with British police practice, but his age matched Mr. Arday’s, and British news reports said that Mr. Arday had been found dead. A Cambridge spokeswoman reached by phone on Friday evening said the university was awaiting confirmation.

The death was being “treated as unexpected” but was not believed to be suspicious, the police said, adding that the man’s next of kin had been notified.

Mr. Arday resigned from Cambridge last week amid accusations that he had plagiarized parts of his academic papers, embellished elements of his recently published memoir and fabricated aspects of his life story.

Mr. Arday, who wrote and lectured on racism in higher education, became the university’s youngest Black professor in 2023 after Cambridge hired him for a prestigious post at the school’s Jesus College.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.