Professor Jason Arday, who made history in 2023 as Cambridge University’s youngest Black professor, has resigned and cancelled upcoming book events amid a plagiarism row. The university confirmed it had opened an inquiry into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments, and he stepped down last week.
Book tour cancelled, publisher under pressure
Arday has cancelled an event in Edinburgh and a speech at a conference, just weeks before his memoir ‘Great And Unfortunate Things’ is due to be published on August 27. The publisher is now facing calls to delay the release as scrutiny intensifies.
The investigation was launched after a series of reports alleged that parts of his PhD thesis and other academic work had been plagiarised. Further questions were raised in the press about his claims that he ran 600 miles in six days and raised £5.5 million for charity.
Arday's letter to colleagues
In a letter to colleagues published by the Good Law Project, Arday said the intense public scrutiny had become overwhelming. “While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement,” he wrote. “The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”
Explaining his decision to leave, he added: “The only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away. This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”
University response
Cambridge said it had launched an investigation after receiving “new information” relating to Arday. The university also said that separate complaints concerning alleged academic misconduct were being dealt with under its research misconduct procedures.
