Cambridge professor resigns amid plagiarism allegations, questions about 'academic qualifications'
Jason Arday, a former professor of sociology at Cambridge who garnered attention after becoming the prestigious university's youngest Black professor ever, has resigned from his role amid plagiarism allegations and accusations regarding his background and qualifications.
Arday announced his resignation Wednesday in an open letter published by the Good Law Project, a nonprofit focused on social justice issues, expressing "profound sadness" at the decision.
"This is not the end of my work. It is simply the end of this chapter," he added.
Arday's resignation comes after Cambridge University announced an investigation into him on Thursday, following "new information" about his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments." The university said that ongoing complaints about Arday's alleged academic misconduct were being handled separately, "in line with our Misconduct in Research policy."
"We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation, and we continue to provide support to him," the university's statement added.
The university said that Jesus College, of which Arday is a part, "will be taking their own steps in relation to some of these matters."
In his resignation note Wednesday, Arday reflected on his groundbreaking appointment as a professor, saying it represented "that talent, perseverance and hope can triumph over even the greatest adversity."
He continued, "Sadly, the years since my appointment have also been marked by an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack. While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement."
Arday said he made the decision to resign his role at the university in order to "reclaim some peace" for himself and his loved ones.
"This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge," he wrote. "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."
Controversy over Arday first erupted earlier this year, after he delivered a speech at a sociology conference in April suggesting that Black academics were being targeted by right-wing activists hoping to pressure universities to sever ties with them over alleged past missteps.
Then, in July, The Telegraph published a report identifying more than 100 passages in Arday's Ph.D. thesis -- which he wrote more than a decade ago at Liverpool John Moores University -- that it claimed were "identical or nearly identical to a 2009 PhD thesis by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, a Brunel University student." The Times of London published a similar analysis of Arday's thesis that same day, questioning whether Arday should have cited his sources more heavily.
The Times published a follow-up report on "anomalies" in Arday's published academic work on July 31, including alleged "inconsistencies in references to participants in his papers," among other things.
On Aug. 1, the Guardian published its own investigation into Arday's history, scrutinizing claims he had made publicly in media interviews and his book about his athletic endeavors, fundraising numbers, past injuries and more. The investigation also probed Arday's past claims about being threatened and harassed on campus following his Cambridge appointment, which reportedly yielded some inconsistencies.
Arday denied the plagiarism accusations in his own statement to the Guardian earlier this month. In a separate statement to the Times of London last week, Arday addressed the inconsistencies in his published academic work, saying, "It's more likely that I've made a mistake, there's a clerical error. It's not that I've fabricated."
Cambridge responded to the plagiarism allegations against Arday in a statement dated Aug. 2, saying the school took the allegations "incredibly seriously" and had forwarded them to Liverpool John Moores University, which it said had investigated the claims. The allegations related to Arday's journal publications were investigated by the journals in question, the school said.
According to the Guardian, Liverpool John Moores University ultimately determined the alleged plagiarism was the result of "honest and reasonable error."
ABC News has reached out to Liverpool John Moores University for more information on the results of its investigation.
In his resignation letter this week, Arday said he was stepping away to give himself the time and space "to heal."
"I need time to heal. I need time to simply be myself again. And when that time comes, I will return," he wrote. "I will return stronger, wiser and with the same determination that has always defined my journey."
He added, "There is still so much work to do, and I look forward to doing it alongside so many of you in the years ahead. For now, however, I ask only for understanding, for compassion, and for the space to begin again."
Arday's forthcoming memoir, "Great and Unfortunate Things," is currently slated to be released Aug. 11. The memoir focuses on Arday's history of "overcoming remarkable challenges and responding to adversity with resilience," according to its publisher, Simon & Schuster.
ABC News reached out to Cambridge University, Jesus College, and Arday for comment but did not immediately hear back.
