Jason Arday, the Black professor at Cambridge University who resigned last week over allegations of plagiarism, was found dead on June 14.
The London Metropolitan Police stated that 41-year-old Jason Arday was unresponsive when discovered at an address in South London in the afternoon.
Police said that the London Ambulance Service contacted them after receiving a report, stating that a man in the Battersea area of London had been found “unconscious in a house.”
The police said in a statement, "Unfortunately, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene." The family of the deceased has been notified. Currently, his death is being treated as unexpected but not suspicious.
Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor Debbie Prentice issued a brief statement, saying: “We are deeply saddened to hear this tragic news.”
Jason Arday became Cambridge University's youngest Black professor in 2023. Recently, some scholars and media outlets accused parts of Jason Arday's doctoral thesis of plagiarism. British right-wing newspapers and commentators subsequently seized on the issue, claiming Arday unfairly benefited from “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) policies and questioned his personal life.
On August 5, shortly after Cambridge University and Jesus College announced an investigation into multiple allegations, Jason Arday announced his resignation as university professor and fellow at Jesus College.
In a letter posted online, Arday said that resigning was the “only way” to end this “difficult period,” but emphasized that the decision should not be “misconstrued as accepting the various claims made about me.”
Arday's family criticized the “harassment campaign” that followed, after allegations were made regarding his academic work and personal life.