Jason Arday, a professor at the University of Cambridge, has resigned from his position amid an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and questionable claims on his curriculum vitae. Arday, who had been celebrated as the university's youngest Black professor, stepped down from his role as Professor of Sociology of Education on Wednesday.
The resignation follows revelations about Arday's past, including accusations of copying parts of his PhD thesis and disputing claims about his academic appointments at various institutions. One particular focus of recent scrutiny has been a claim Arday made in a 2023 podcast interview that he was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to charity. The podcast episode has since been removed from the show's YouTube channel.
In the interview, Arday stated he was offered the honor but implied he declined it due to his work on race and anti-colonialism, saying, "you can’t critique empire and do work on race and accept that kind of award." However, his name does not appear on the official New Year’s or Birthday Honours lists for 2017. The Cabinet Office does not confirm or deny details about individuals who have refused honors, as such information is kept confidential.
Sources indicated to the Daily Mail that Arday himself requested the podcast episode be deleted, citing unspecified "security" concerns. Arday did not respond to requests for comment regarding the MBE claim or the podcast's removal.
Memoir Deal and Academic Scrutiny
Further questions have arisen regarding a reported "pre-empt" deal, where publisher Simon & Schuster allegedly offered £1.4 million for Arday's forthcoming memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things." While publishing industry experts suggested this figure was exceptionally high for a book of this nature, they noted that such deals are not impossible, especially if multiple international branches of a publishing house are involved. Arday's memoir, which details his journey from overcoming severe autism to an academic career, is scheduled for publication next week.
Cambridge University initially defended Arday against what it described as a "vile campaign," but announced an investigation into claims about his academic qualifications and honorary appointments after further details emerged. The university stated that its process would be thorough and adhere to its policies and employment law, while also acknowledging the personal impact on Arday and confirming ongoing support for him.
Jesus College, where Arday was a fellow, is also taking its own steps regarding the matters. In his resignation statement, Arday expressed profound sadness but maintained a defiant tone, attributing his departure to an "unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack" that had taken a toll on his well-being and family. He stated his decision was not an admission of wrongdoing but a necessity for his personal peace and privacy.
Adding another layer to the situation, social media users noted that Arday's resignation statement was flagged as potentially AI-generated by detection software. While the software company warns of a non-zero error rate, the finding has added to the discourse surrounding the academic. Some initial supporters, including psychologist Sir Simon Baron-Cohen and Sonita Alleyne, Master of Jesus College, reportedly removed their names from an open letter from the Good Law Project that had defended Arday against accusations from "Right-wing newspapers."