The University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row has resigned "with immediate effect". Prof Jason Arday said he had "concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away".
Why did the resignation happen?
The resignation came after the university said it had launched an investigation "following new information" about Arday's "academic qualifications and honorary appointments". It also followed accusations from another academic, self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024, that he had found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday's work and had questioned some of Arday's stated achievements. Arday has admitted errors in his work, but has insisted he is not "a liar".
What did Arday say in his statement?
In a statement posted by the Good Law Project on Wednesday, Arday said that being appointed professor had been "without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life".
The years since my appointment have also been marked by an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack
He added that "there comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great".
for my own wellbeing, for my family, and for those who have stood by me throughout this difficult period, I have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away
Arday also said that "this is not the end of my work" and that he needed "time to heal".
When that time comes, I will return
He thanked his students and colleagues, and said the decision was made for his own wellbeing and for his family.
What is the university doing?
Earlier on Wednesday, the University of Cambridge said its inquiry had begun "following new information" about Arday's "academic qualifications and honorary appointments". It added that there remained "a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct".
In its statement, the University of Cambridge said:
While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law.
We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation, and we continue to provide support to him.
Jesus College, where Arday is a fellow, has said it is launching its own process "parallel" to the university's investigation.
Who is Jason Arday?
In 2023, the then 37-year-old sociologist became the youngest ever black professor at Cambridge. The allegations of plagiarism in Arday's work were first voiced by Cofnas, a US researcher whose role at a Cambridge college was terminated after backlash to his view that under a true meritocracy black people would "disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".
Cofnas claimed on Substack that he had put Arday's work through a plagiarism detection software, which found that "many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source".
What has Arday said about the allegations?
On Saturday, Arday told the Times in an interview that he was accountable for those mistakes, but that "what I am not is a liar".
There has been, since I arrived at Cambridge, a very well orchestrated and co-ordinated campaign to unseat me from my position.
He suggested that this was "racially motivated" and that he had become a "lightning rod" for criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy.
Arday said some errors in his early academic work was because of his autism, as he relied on using mimicry to make sense of information, and that similar scrutiny would find similar errors in work by other academics.
We're talking about academia here. I didn't murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I've experienced and the positioning of me as this kind of liar and fantasist is totally unacceptable
He said the scrutiny and criticism had been cruel and unacceptable.
Key Facts
- Prof Jason Arday resigned from Cambridge "with immediate effect".
- The university said it had launched an investigation "following new information" about his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments".
- Jesus College said it would launch its own process "parallel" to the university's inquiry.
- Arday became the youngest ever black professor at Cambridge in 2023, aged 37.
- Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from a Cambridge role in 2024, first raised the plagiarism allegations.
