Jason Arday, the youngest black professor in Cambridge University's history, resigned on Wednesday after a two-week period of intense public scrutiny. The resignation came after a series of allegations emerged, including accusations of plagiarism in his academic work and questions about numerous claims in his personal and professional biography.
Plagiarism Allegations
Arday faced allegations of plagiarism in his PhD thesis and other academic research late last year. He has consistently rejected these claims. The Telegraph reported that analysis found over 100 passages in his PhD thesis were similar to a thesis by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, a student at Brunel University of London, published six years earlier.
An investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded his PhD in 2015, did not uphold the plagiarism charges but attributed them to "honest and reasonable error." Arday told the Guardian last week: "There have been multiple thorough investigations across several institutions as a result of the allegations, and immense scrutiny, including with an academic misconduct panel who concluded that there was no plagiarism or academic misconduct."
Despite this, there have been growing calls from other academics to re-examine his PhD. Additionally, The Times published analysis on Wednesday finding that some of his recent research contained "impossible" evidence and inconsistencies. Two corrections have been made to his papers from 2018 and 2020.
False Academic Claims
Arday claimed to have held visiting fellowships and professorships at prestigious universities. The Jesus College website stated he was a visiting professor at Ohio State University and the University of Glasgow, but both universities denied this. He also claimed to be an honorary professor at Durham University, but the university told the Daily Mail he no longer held any role there.
Arday stated he completed a master's in psychodynamic practices at Birkbeck, University of London, and became a qualified counsellor. However, Birkbeck told the Guardian they could not find records of a student named Jason Arday studying there.
He also claimed to have published a book called Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse with Palgrave Macmillan. The publisher confirmed they received a proposal but the book was never published.
Questionable Athletic Feats
Arday's book claims he ran 30 marathons in 35 days for charity. In 2012, he told tennis star Andy Murray he had an epileptic seizure during one marathon and fractured his leg, yet continued to run nine more marathons. Doctors told the Guardian this would be incredibly painful but technically possible.
He also claimed to have run 600 miles in six days, a feat that would rank among the world's best endurance runners. However, he later said the challenge was completed over 12 days with rest days due to cumulative wear and tear.
Arday also claimed to have played for Crystal Palace as an under-18 and played semi-professional football for 12 years. Crystal Palace said they had no records dating back to that period. It was reported he played for Lewisham Borough in a lower non-league division.
Charity Work and Fundraising
Arday claimed to have raised £5m for charities over 20 years, sometimes stating £5.5m. When asked, he said the money was raised with the help of "many fundraising collectives" but could not identify them due to NDAs. He also claimed to have visited South America and west Africa with WaterAid, but the charity said it never sends volunteers abroad and does not encourage self-funded visits.
Intimidation and Racist Abuse
Arday has been a victim of racist abuse, and Cambridge previously screened his emails. In a letter to minister Jacqui Smith, he claimed to have been "threatened with a knife, physically assaulted and spat on; [had] rape and death threats... bananas and bullets being posted... and corrosive substances and mutilated animals sent to his family home."
In an interview, he claimed a masked man confronted him twice at his faculty building, threatening harm if he did not resign. The intruder was not captured on CCTV, and Arday did not report the incidents at the time. He also claimed a severed pig's head was delivered to his parents' home, and that police investigated, but the Guardian found the police details were "categorically" incorrect.
Arday reported a journalist to the police for investigating allegations against him. Jack Grove of Times Higher Education received a threatening letter from Arday's solicitors and later a police call to say the complaint was closed, a complaint Grove did not know had been made.
