An inquest opened Wednesday into the sudden death of Jason Arday, 41, a former Cambridge University professor who had faced intense scrutiny over his academic work and public claims, the Associated Press reported.
Coroner cites ‘unnatural’ death
At a brief hearing at London Inner South Coroner’s Court, Senior Coroner Dr. Julian Morris said, “The various reports have given me reason to suspect that Professor Arday died an unnatural death 12 days ago. It therefore follows that I must open an investigation,” according to AP.
Arday was found dead at an address in south London on Aug. 13, AP reported. Police said at the time that the death was being treated as “unexpected” but not suspicious, according to AP.
Resignation followed allegations and media scrutiny
AP reported that Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor in 2023, resigned his sociology of education post on Aug. 5 following intense media scrutiny of his credentials and other public claims. Newspapers subsequently published stories alleging that more than 100 passages from his 2015 Ph.D. thesis were identical or near-identical to an earlier paper by another researcher, AP reported. Arday denied plagiarism but admitted to some mistakes when working on his doctorate, according to AP.
AP also reported that wider questions were raised about statements Arday made about his life, including claims that he had raised £5.5 million (about $7.5 million) for charity through extreme endurance feats such as running 30 marathons in 35 days and 600 miles in six days; he later revised those claims, according to AP. Some questioned his accounts of developmental delays; Arday said he was diagnosed with autism at a young age and could not read or write until 18, AP reported.
Public challenger suspended abroad
According to AP, questions about Arday’s qualifications were publicly raised last month by Nathan Cofnas, a one-time Cambridge philosophy researcher who left the university after his critique of diversity, equity and inclusion programs sparked protests. AP reported that Cofnas had previously argued that in a meritocracy, Black people “would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.” Last week, Cofnas was suspended from his post at Ghent University in Belgium, AP reported.
Fundraiser and memoir
AP reported that Arday’s death prompted an outpouring of grief, with a fundraiser in his memory raising nearly £225,000 (about $305,000) from 7,900 donors. The money has been earmarked to support his family and to cover funeral and memorial expenses, according to AP.
The inquest’s formal launch comes a day before the U.K. publication of Arday’s memoir, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” by Simon & Schuster, which describes the book as recounting how an autistic boy who was non-verbal as a child and illiterate until his late teens became the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history. AP reported the book’s U.S. publication occurred earlier this month.
