Historic Cambridge professor resigns after investigation into plagiarism of PhD dissertation
A professor at the University of Cambridge has resigned 'with immediate effect' amid claims of plagiarism on his PhD dissertation.
Jason Arday made history when he became the youngest black man to be appointed to a professorship at Cambridge aged 37, and was seen as a rising star in academia.
However, Arday has now announced that he is resigning from his position after allegations of plagiarism, saying in his announcement that 'there comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great'.
In a statement shared by The Good Law Project, he wrote: “It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College.
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“When I accepted the extraordinary honour of becoming professor of sociology at Cambridge, it was, without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life.”
Arday made clear that his resignation is not an indication that he is admitting to the allegations, writing: "This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it 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."
Arday has been at the centre of controversy after a report in The Telegraph found that over 100 passages in Arday's PhD dissertation had been similar to a different thesis had been publish six years earlier by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, a student at Brunel University in London.
Cambridge has said that it forwarded the complaints to Liverpool John Moores University, where Arday completed the PhD.
After reviewing the work, Liverpool John Moores said that it found it had not been plagiarised.
However, The Guardian also reported that other academics had told the publication that there was legitimacy to the claims of plagiarism.
Arday has denied the claims, previously saying: “To clarify, there have been multiple thorough investigations across several institutions as a result of the allegations, and immense scrutiny, including with an academic misconduct panel who concluded that there was no plagiarism or academic misconduct.”
He also said that he supports a 'fair investigation processes for genuine concerns'.
Arday has also spoken about the allegations in an interview with The Times, in which he condemned the 'cruelty' as well as how he has been portrayed in reporting on the matter, calling the ordeal 'soul-destroying'.
He told the outlet: “I am accountable for the mistakes I’ve made. I hold myself accountable and other people should hold me accountable.
"We’re talking about academia here. 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.”
Arday has been championed as a figure for overcoming adversity to reach a position of academic excellence from a difficult background.
The professor has autism, and was non-verbal until he was 11 years old, and was unable to read or write until the age of 18.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the University of Cambridge said previously: “We take allegations of academic misconduct incredibly seriously.
“It is university procedure that investigations are carried out by the institution at which the research was undertaken.
"This is standard practice in the sector because that institution has access to the information to ensure a full and fair investigation.”
LADBible approached Jason Arday for comment.
Kit Roberts