Cambridge professor Jason Arday resigns amid plagiarism row

Jason Arday, the University of Cambridge professor facing questions over plagiarism allegations, academic credentials and public claims about his achievements, has resigned “with immediate effect.”

Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor when he was appointed professor of sociology in 2023, announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from his university post and his fellowship at Jesus College. His resignation came hours after Cambridge said it had launched a new investigation after receiving “new information” about his “academic qualifications and honorary appointments.”

In a statement posted by the Good Law Project, Arday said his appointment had been “without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life,” but that the pressure surrounding the allegations had become too much.

“There comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great,” he said. He added that his resignation should not “be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge” or “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.”

“For my own wellbeing, for my family, and for those who have stood by me throughout this difficult period, I have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away,” Arday said. He said he needed “time to heal,” adding: “When that time comes, I will return.”

The resignation follows a series of media reports questioning parts of Arday’s record and alleging plagiarism in his PhD thesis and other academic work. Cambridge said Wednesday that its new inquiry is separate from “a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct,” which it said are being handled under its Misconduct in Research policy.

“While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law,” the university said. “We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation, and we continue to provide support to him.”

Jesus College said it was beginning its own process parallel to the university’s investigation.

Al Jazeera reported that Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday’s doctorate in 2015, investigated plagiarism allegations but did not uphold them, attributing the issues to “honest and reasonable error.” Cambridge had previously defended Arday in June, describing allegations against him as “a vile campaign to undermine his credibility” and saying plagiarism claims about his “thesis and journal publications” had been investigated and dismissed by “the relevant institution” and journals.

Some of the accusations were first raised by Nathan Cofnas, a U.S. researcher and self-described “race realist.” Cofnas claimed on Substack that plagiarism detection software found “many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source.” His role at a Cambridge college ended after backlash over his statement that under a true meritocracy Black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.”

Arday has admitted errors in his work but denied deliberate wrongdoing. In an interview with The Times, he said he was accountable for mistakes, but “what I am not is a liar.” He said there had been “a very well orchestrated and co-ordinated campaign to unseat me from my position,” which he suggested was “racially motivated,” and said he had become a “lightning rod” for criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion policy.

“We’re talking about academia here. I didn’t murder somebody,” he told the newspaper. “I think the cruelty that I’ve experienced and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist is totally unacceptable.”

Questions have also been raised about Arday’s claims that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days, ran 300 miles in three days for charity and completed 600 miles on a treadmill in six days. The BBC reported that Arday told The Guardian the £5 million he said had been raised for charity came with the help of others over 20 years, but that he could not name them because of nondisclosure agreements. He said the treadmill challenge was completed over 12 days to allow for rest days. He told The Times he stood by the other running records.

“I can’t make people believe me,” he said. “Nobody lives their life having a receipt for every single thing they say or they’ve done.”

Publisher Simon & Schuster, which is due to publish Arday’s memoir later this month, defended him in a statement to AFP. “We are proud to publish Professor Jason Arday,” the publisher said, adding that it could “speak to the professionalism and integrity he has brought to every stage of the publication.”