Star Cambridge professor resigns amid plagiarism allegations

Jason Arday, the sociologist who made history as Cambridge University's youngest Black professor, has resigned from the university after weeks of mounting accusations of plagiarism and fabrications in his biography.

Arday, who joined Cambridge in 2023 at the age of 37, became one of Britain's most high-profile academics after sharing an extraordinary life story. He has said he is autistic and dyslexic, and that he did not speak until he was 11 and could not read or write until he was 18.

But following the accusations and scrutiny, Arday resigned from his position on Wednesday. 

"The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love," he said in a statement.

He did not address the specific allegations against him but said his resignation should not "be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me."

"It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure," he said. 

Arday has previously denied any deliberate wrongdoing, describing mistakes in his academic work as unintentional and arguing that much of the criticism amounts to an ideologically and racially motivated campaign against him.

Allegations of plagiarism were raised in July by Nathan Cofnas, a philosopher of biology and former Cambridge researcher who has publicly criticized diversity, equity and inclusion policies. He previously wrote that in a meritocracy, "Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment."

Cofnas said he ran Arday's PhD thesis and several subsequent academic papers through a plagiarism-detection program, alleging that sections closely resembled, and in some cases copied, the work of other scholars without proper attribution.

"I found extensive plagiarism," Cofnas told CBS News. "Much of it was just verbatim copying, word-for-word copying, or he would change the phraseology a little bit, but clearly plagiarism with no reference to the source."

Cofnas said he began looking into it after he was contacted by a Cambridge academic who told him, "There is a plagiarist and fabulist on the faculty."

Liverpool John Moores University, where Arday completed his PhD, previously investigated allegations relating to his doctoral thesis and said it found no evidence of academic misconduct, according to The Times of London. 

Beyond the plagiarism allegations, Cofnas also raised doubt about Arday's background and personal accomplishments. But he admitted, "it is impossible to prove or disprove Arday's biographical claims without more direct evidence."

The Times of London reported that Arday claimed to have raised millions of pounds for charity through endurance challenges but later changed aspects of his story. The Telegraph has also questioned Arday's claim to have published a book, reporting that they were unable to find evidence that such a book was ever published. 

The Guardian reported that Arday has said he was the victim of multiple crimes, including being twice threatened on campus by a masked man wielding a knife. However, the newspaper could find no evidence to substantiate those claims.

Supporters of Arday argue the scrutiny has gone far beyond legitimate academic criticism and say he has become the target of an ideological campaign because of his work on race, inequality and diversity. 

The Good Law Project, a legal campaign group supporting Arday, posted on X that the "rightwing newspapers are trying to smear him with untrue accusations of plagiarism."

Critics, however, argue that the case raises broader questions about academic standards, merit and diversity, equity and inclusion practices in higher education. Some have also argued that concerns about being perceived as racist discouraged earlier scrutiny of the allegations. 

Arday and Cambridge University did not respond to CBS News' request for comment.

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