Jason Arday, the former professor of sociology at the University of Cambridge, has resigned following a high-profile row about plagiarism. It was reported last month that Arday, who was the youngest black professor ever appointed to Cambridge, was alleged to have plagiarised the work of another PhD student for his own doctorate. Subsequently a series of stories broke about what looked like increasingly tall claims he had made about other areas of his life.
He said he had run 30 marathons in 35 days (the latter portion with a hairline fracture to his femur), and raised over £5.5m for charity. When asked about the fundraising claims, he said he had been part of a large syndicate, none of whom he could name because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement. He said police had investigated the delivery of a severed pig’s head to his parents’ house in London as part of a campaign of harrassment. But the Metropolitan Police said it was “categorically” incorrect that an investigation had taken place.
Interviewed by a newspaper at the weekend, Arday did not deny that he had plagiarised, but said his autism meant he absorbed information by mimicry. Cambridge, which had initially defended Arday against the plagiarism allegations, announced it had launched an investigation following “new information” about his “academic qualifications and honorary appointments”. Arday resigned shortly afterwards.
