Former University of Cambridge Professor Jason Arday was found dead this afternoon at a house in Battersea, London. Authorities said Arday, 41, was found "unresponsive" at the location and pronounced dead on the scene.
Jason Arday, ex-Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism, found dead in UK week after investigation launched https://t.co/oeWy5BcI0Q pic.twitter.com/gfAU3FgNQ1
— New York Post (@nypost) August 14, 2026
Embattled 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 south London 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.
He cited an “unrelenting level of public scrutiny” as his reason for resigning.
The sociology professor, who became a posterboy 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.
Police have not issued a cause of death yet, but have said Arday's passing was "unexpected" and that they did not believe it was "suspicious."
Arday's book, "Great & Unfortunate Things" was released by Simon & Schuster on August 11, despite concerns about differences between things in the book proposal and the actual text of the work, including that he experienced "locked-in" syndrome for several months after being hit by a car. He also said he had testicular cancer, but that was changed to brain cancer in the book (and Arday later claimed surgery to remove that brain tumor made him forget his dissertation, and he had to relearn it).
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor, has been found dead.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 14, 2026
Mr Arday was found “unresponsive” at an address in Battersea, London, on Friday afternoon and later pronounced dead at the scene.
🔗 https://t.co/gM6vNStTFb pic.twitter.com/HAuDpuw3qu
Arday was married and had two children.
BREAKING: Former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday found dead.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 14, 2026
The academic had resigned from the university last week following accusations of plagiarism
🔗 https://t.co/4sQb4niL5Q pic.twitter.com/pOa7OO8zAB
Arday resigned from Cambridge on August 5 following public scrutiny over claims of plagiarism.
The investigation remains ongoing, and we will provide updates as they become available.