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August 6, 2026 / 11:08 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Jason Arday, the sociologist who made history as Cambridge University's youngest Black professor, has resigned from the university after weeks of mounting accusations of plagiarism and fabrications in his biography.Arday, who joined Cambridge in 2023 at the age of 37, became one of Britain's most high-profile academics after sharing an extraordinary life story. He has said he is autistic and dyslexic, and that he did not speak until he was 11 and could not read or write until he was 18.But following the accusations and scrutiny, Arday resigned from his position on Wednesday. "The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love," he said in a statement.He did not address the specific allegations against him but said his resignation should not "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.""It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure," he said. Arday has previously denied any deliberate wrongdoing, describing mistakes in his academic work as unintentional and arguing that much of the criticism amounts to an ideologically and racially motivated campaign against him.
