Jason Arday resigns after Cambridge opens investigation

Sociology professor Jason Arday has announced he is leaving his role at the University of Cambridge after facing questions over his academic work. 

The scholar announced his resignation with immediate effect in an open letter published by the Good Law Project hours after the institution announced it was going to investigate him due to “new information” coming to light.

Arday, the youngest black professor ever appointed by Cambridge, has faced a series of allegations in recent days, including claims he plagiarised part of his PhD thesis and some material that appeared in journal papers.

Affiliations with universities including Glasgow and Ohio State have also been questioned after the institutions denied any ongoing links with the professor.

Arday said he had faced “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary” that “have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love”.

“I have tried to continue because I believe deeply in the values of higher education, in rigorous scholarship, and in the transformative power of universities,” he added.

“I have tried because of my students, my colleagues and the countless people who have written to tell me that my journey gave them hope. But there comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great.”

Arday said he wanted to “reclaim some peace, some privacy and some semblance of an ordinary life” and I “have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away”.

He said the decision” should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge” or “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 promised that it was “not the end of my work” and “I will return stronger, wiser and with the same determination that has always defined my journey.”

Earlier, Cambridge said it had begun an investigation “following new information about Professor Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments”.

“In order to ensure a fair process, we will not comment further until this has concluded.”

Cambridge said “a number” of complaints had been made regarding academic misconduct and these were being handled “in line with our misconduct in research policy”.

The university had previously said concerns relating to Arday’s PhD thesis were a matter for the awarding institution, Liverpool John Moores University, which has cleared Arday of plagiarism.

Arday has admitted making “mistakes” and told The Times he should be held “accountable” but has denied being a “liar and fantasist”.

Cambridge said it was “fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter” and added that 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.”

Arday is also now the subject of a separate investigation at Jesus College, where he was a fellow.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com