剑桥大学前社会学教授Jason Arday于周五在伦敦Battersea被发现无反应状态，终年41岁[1][2]。警方表示其死亡目前被认为是意外情况，但不被视为可疑[1]。Arday在遭遇学术不诚实指控后于上周辞职。
Arday于2023年成为剑桥大学最年轻的黑人教授，当时年仅37岁[1][2]。抄袭指控由Nathan Cofnas首次提出，后者于2024年被剑桥大学开除[1][2]。尽管Arday承认工作中存在错误，但剑桥大学LJMU于2015年授予其博士学位后，最终得出他未进行抄袭的结论[1]。他曾表示："我没有伤害任何人。我认为我所经历的残忍对待和被定位为说谎者、幻想家的做法完全令人无法接受"[1]。
Arday曾指出公众审查和人身攻击给他带来了巨大个人代价[1]。家人指出他承受不住"虚假信息的宣传活动"[2]。黑人研究教授Kehinde Andrews描述Arday"情绪低落"，称"他觉得没有出路"[2]。自闭症研究中心主任Simon Baron-Cohen表示在其去世当天早上与他通话，Arday感到无法离开家[2]。
剑桥副校长Deborah Prentice表示"极其悲伤"[2]，教育大臣Lucy Powell称感到"深感震惊和悲伤"[2]。伦敦市长Sadiq Khan指责Arday遭受了"无法接受的公众骚扰和虐待运动"[2]。Arday的回忆录《Great And Unfortunate Things》原计划于8月27日在英国出版[1]。
Jason Arday, a 41-year-old former sociology professor at Cambridge University, was found unresponsive on Friday afternoon at an address in Battersea, London.[1][2] Police stated that at this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.[1]
Arday had resigned from his position at Cambridge the previous week amid allegations of academic misconduct and questions about his scholarly achievements.[1][2] In 2023, at age 37, he had become Cambridge's youngest Black professor.[1][2] The plagiarism allegations were initially raised by Nathan Cofnas, who was himself dismissed from Cambridge in 2024.[1][2] While Arday denied the plagiarism charges, he acknowledged that errors existed in his work.[1] He stated: "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."[1] An investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, which had awarded him his doctorate in 2015, concluded that he had not committed plagiarism.[1]
Tributes have been paid by senior figures who expressed concern about the treatment he faced. Education Secretary Lucy Powell stated she was "deeply shocked and saddened,"[2] while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Arday had suffered "unacceptable public harassment and an abusive campaign."[2] Simon Baron-Cohen, director of an autism research centre, said he had spoken with Arday on the morning of his death and found him feeling unable to leave his home.[2] Academic Kehinde Andrews described him as "despondent," noting that "he felt there was no way out."[2] His family attributed his distress to a "propaganda campaign of misinformation."[2] Arday's memoir, "Great And Unfortunate Things," was scheduled for publication in the United Kingdom on August 27.[1]