A Cambridge professor is facing questions regarding his academic record and a series of claims, including one that he appeared on the television series "Seven Up" decades before his birth. Jason Arday, who became the university's youngest Black professor, has admitted to errors in his PhD thesis amid accusations of plagiarism.
Footage has emerged from a 2022 talk where Professor Arday stated he was part of a program called "Seven Up," which followed individuals at seven-year intervals throughout their lives, and that he was removed from the project at age 14. The "Seven Up" series, however, first aired in 1964, predating Arday's birth in 1985. Critics have pointed out that the original participants would have been born in 1956 or 1957, making Arday's alleged participation impossible. A BBC spokesperson confirmed that Arday had no connection to their films.
A source close to Professor Arday stated that his reference to "Seven Up" was not to the television series but to a local community initiative developed around the Ubuntu principle, organized by Black women to support mothers raising children with complex learning needs. This informal shorthand, the source explained, was intended to illustrate a concept and not to be a literal comparison, warning that taking the phrase out of context could create a misleading impression.
Arday, who was appointed to Cambridge at age 37, has a background marked by overcoming significant challenges. Raised in south London by Ghanaian immigrant parents, he was diagnosed with autism, dyslexia, and global development delay at a young age and was non-verbal until age 11. He has stated he learned to read and write at 18 before pursuing higher education, earning a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University. He taught at four universities prior to his position at Cambridge.
Scrutiny intensified after his appointment to Cambridge, leading to allegations of plagiarism in his 2015 PhD thesis. While Liverpool John Moores University cleared him of academic misconduct, calls for a new inquiry have emerged after critics identified numerous passages in his work that they allege were plagiarized. An investigation by The Guardian also raised doubts about a claim Arday made concerning a racist intimidation incident involving a pig's head being sent to his home, with the Metropolitan Police denying an investigation took place.
