Inquest Opens Into Death of Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Amid Plagiarism Allegations

An inquest opened Wednesday in London into the death of Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor who resigned from his post earlier this month following allegations of plagiarism and questions surrounding his credentials. Arday, 41, was found dead at a south London address on Aug. 13.

Senior coroner Dr. Julian Morris stated at the inquest hearing that reports suggested Arday may have died an "unnatural death." He opened an investigation, though police had previously described his death as "unexpected" but not suspicious.

Questions about Arday's academic record and life achievements surfaced last month. Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher, publicly raised concerns about Arday's qualifications. Subsequently, newspapers reported that over 100 passages in Arday's 2015 doctoral thesis were alleged to be identical or nearly identical to an earlier work by another researcher. Arday denied plagiarism but acknowledged some errors in his dissertation.

Further scrutiny was applied to claims Arday had made about his life, including statements about raising significant funds for charity through endurance feats and overcoming developmental delays that left him non-verbal until age 11. He had stated he was diagnosed with autism at a young age and was illiterate until his late teens. Arday later revised some of his claims.

Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, resigned from the university on Aug. 5. His death prompted an outpouring of support, with a memorial fundraiser gathering nearly 225,000 pounds ($305,000) from over 7,900 donors. The funds are designated for his family's financial and practical support, as well as funeral and memorial expenses.

Arday's memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things," is scheduled for publication in the United Kingdom on Thursday. The book's description highlights his journey from a child with autism who was non-verbal and illiterate until his late teens to becoming Cambridge's youngest Black professor. The memoir was released in the U.S. earlier this month.