Days After Resignation, Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead 

Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has been found dead in south London, days after resigning from the university amid allegations concerning plagiarism, data fabrication and inaccuracies in his academic record.

Arday, 41, was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea on Friday afternoon, according to the BBC.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the location by the London Ambulance Service, where a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead.

His next of kin have been informed.

The police said in a statement, “At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.”

Arday had resigned last week from his position as Cambridge’s Professor of the Sociology of Education following scrutiny of his academic work and claims about his professional achievements. He denied the allegations.

The controversy initially centred on his PhD thesis, completed at Liverpool John Moores University, with academic critics and investigations alleging that substantial sections had been copied from the work of other scholars without proper attribution.

Further scrutiny, including reports by Retraction Watch, raised allegations that Arday had used qualitative interview quotations from other researchers’ studies while presenting them as original data.

Investigators also questioned inconsistencies involving reported sample sizes, the number of interviews conducted and aspects of his research methodology, raising concerns about the reliability of some of the research underpinning his academic work.

The scrutiny later expanded to claims contained in Arday’s personal and professional biography.

Arday had previously attracted public attention for accounts of overcoming significant challenges, including claims that he had been diagnosed with autism, could not speak until he was 11 and only learnt to read and write at 18.

Recent investigations questioned several claims associated with his biography and curriculum vitae, including books he reportedly claimed to have authored, visiting professorships, honorary appointments, sporting achievements and charitable activities.

One claim that came under scrutiny was an assertion that he had run 600 miles in six days to raise millions of pounds for charity.

The allegations triggered a widening academic controversy in Britain and preceded his resignation from Cambridge last week.

Arday was found dead only days after leaving the university.

While the circumstances of his death have not been publicly detailed, police have said there is currently no indication that it was suspicious.