Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has died at the age of 41, days after resigning from the university amid allegations of plagiarism, research irregularities and inaccuracies in his academic credentials.
Arday was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the scene by the London Ambulance Service and he was pronounced dead.
Police said the death was unexpected but was not being treated as suspicious. His next of kin have been informed.
Arday had resigned from his position as Professor of the Sociology of Education at Cambridge last week following growing scrutiny of his academic work and professional background. He denied the allegations against him.
Questions were initially raised over his doctoral thesis, which he completed at Liverpool John Moores University. Critics alleged that parts of the dissertation contained material from other scholars without proper attribution.
Further investigations raised concerns about research findings attributed to Arday, including the alleged reuse of interview quotations from previous studies. Researchers also questioned inconsistencies involving sample sizes, interview numbers and research methods.
The scrutiny later expanded to his academic and professional biography, with questions raised over some of his claimed publications, visiting professorships, honorary roles and sporting and charitable achievements.
One claim that came under scrutiny was that he had completed a 600-mile run in six days as part of a charity fundraising effort.
Arday had previously gained public attention for his account of overcoming significant challenges in childhood, including claims that he had been diagnosed with autism, did not speak until the age of 11 and learned to read and write at 18. Some elements of his biography were later questioned during investigations.
The controversy surrounding his academic record intensified in recent weeks and preceded his resignation from Cambridge.
His death comes only days after his departure from the university, with police maintaining that there is currently no indication of foul play.
