Jason Arday: Ex-Cambridge professor found dead — reports

Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor who resigned amid allegations of plagiarism, was found dead on Friday.

Without naming him directly, the Metropolitan Police said he was found "unresponsive" in Battersea, south London , and pronounced dead at the scene.

"At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious," a spokesperson said.  "His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers."

Arday, a professor of sociology of education at Cambridge, one of the world's top universities, resigned just over a week ago amid mounting allegations that he plagiarized parts of his PhD thesis and overstated his personal achievements.

He has denied wrongdoing, saying in a resignation letter that he did not accept "the narratives that have surrounded me."

British newspapers and commentators have seized on the allegations, arguing that he gained an unfair advantage through diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Scrutiny of Arday's credentials intensified last month after criticism from former Cambridge researcher Nathan Cofnas.

The Times of London later reported similarities between passages in Arday's 2015 PhD thesis and an earlier paper by another researcher.