Cambridge launches review of its handling of professor Jason Arday before his death

The University of Cambridge is asking an independent inquiry whether it did enough to support Jason Arday during a period of intense public criticism. The sociology professor was found dead at his home on Aug. 14, one week after he resigned amid plagiarism allegations that he had consistently denied.

Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said the university had made extensive efforts to support Arday, but questioned whether more could or should have been done given the devastating consequences. Arday became the university’s youngest Black professor in 2023, at the age of 37, and was among Cambridge’s best-known academics.

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We made enormous efforts to support Professor Arday during a terrible period of external criticism and attention. But given the devastating consequences, we continue to ask ourselves whether we could and should have done more.

The review has two parts. The first will examine whether the university’s “support, interventions and protection” after the allegations were sufficient. Investigators are expected to report their findings within three months.

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I am aware that Professor Arday’s death has had a deep impact on Black staff and students, as well as on our neurodiverse community.

A broader six-month inquiry will examine Arday’s time at Cambridge, including recruitment policies, mentoring programmes and existing support. It will also assess how the university responds to academic misconduct and how it guides academics facing “extraordinary media and public pressure.”

Prentice said Arday’s death had deeply affected Black staff and students, as well as Cambridge’s neurodiverse community. She also cited an “unacceptable increase in racist, hateful and abusive attacks” against staff and students on online forums and social media.

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There has also been an unacceptable increase in racist, hateful and abusive attacks on our staff and students in online forums and on social media.