Former University of Cambridge professor, Jason Arday, has died aged 41, shortly after stepping down from his position amid controversy over allegations concerning his academic work and professional record.
Arday was found unresponsive at a property in Battersea, south London, on Friday, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene.
The police described the death as unexpected but said it was not being treated as suspicious.
Officers are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
Arday had resigned earlier in August from his role as Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge following scrutiny over similarities between sections of his academic work and material that had previously been published.
The controversy included renewed questions about his 2015 doctoral thesis and some accounts of his achievements outside academia.
Arday rejected accusations that he had intentionally copied the work of other scholars.
His PhD, awarded by Liverpool John Moores University, had previously been examined following allegations surrounding the thesis.
The university did not uphold a finding of plagiarism, concluding that the problems identified were likely attributable to honest and reasonable error.
Despite that outcome, further questions surrounding his appointment and tenure at Cambridge led the university to announce an independent investigation.
Arday joined Cambridge in 2023, aged 37, and became the youngest Black professor in the institution’s history.
His research covered issues including race, inequality, higher education, mental health and neurodiversity, while his academic career had taken him through several British universities before his appointment at Cambridge.
His death came amid a period of intense public attention surrounding his academic career. His family said they were devastated and pointed to what they described as sustained criticism, misinformation and abuse directed at him.
Cambridge also expressed sadness following the news of his death.
Coincidentally, the week of his death also saw the publication of his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, in which he reflected on his childhood, personal struggles and eventual rise in academia.
Arday had previously spoken about overcoming developmental and learning difficulties during his childhood and building an academic career despite those challenges.
The circumstances surrounding his resignation and the allegations against him had also sparked broader discussions about academic integrity, university appointments and the pressures faced by academics subjected to intense public scrutiny.
