CAMBRIDGE — The university issued a statement confirming the launch of the inquiry. "The University of Cambridge has begun an investigation following new information about Prof Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments," the university said. Arday responded to the development with a public statement regarding his departure. "It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College," he said.

Jesus College, Cambridge launched a parallel process regarding Arday's fellowship. A spokesperson for the college addressed his status during the ongoing review. "Prof Arday remains a fellow during this process," a spokesperson for Jesus College said.

He maintained that prior reviews had cleared him of wrongdoing. "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 said.

Arday was appointed professor of sociology at the University of Cambridge in early 2023. He was 37 years old at the time of his appointment. This appointment made him the youngest black professor appointed in the history of the University of Cambridge.

Prior to joining Cambridge, he was appointed professor of sociology of education at the University of Glasgow in 2021. The University of Glasgow stated that he is not a visiting professor at the institution. Simon & Schuster prepared to publish his memoir, entitled Great and Unfortunate Things, later in the month of the announcement.

Questions regarding his academic record emerged after Nathan Cofnas published an article alleging that more than 100 passages in his doctoral dissertation appeared similar to or lifted from the thesis of Paula Zwozdiak-Myers. Liverpool John Moores University awarded him a PhD in 2015. In 2022, he was first accused of plagiarizing segments of his PhD thesis and other scholarly works, allegations he has consistently denied. An inquiry conducted by Liverpool John Moores University did not substantiate the plagiarism charges, attributing the issues to 'honest and reasonable error.' Liverpool John Moores University investigated plagiarism allegations against him and did not uphold the charges, stating they were probably caused by honest and reasonable error.

Discrepancies also appeared in his biographical claims. His biographies claimed he held visiting professorships or fellowships at Durham University, Coventry University, London Metropolitan University, and Nelson Mandela University. Durham University stated that he held an unpaid academic association related to ongoing project work but currently holds no formal position there.

Ohio State University stated it has no record of him ever being employed in any role. He held academic posts at Leeds Beckett University, Roehampton University, Durham University, and Warwick University after receiving his PhD. Additionally, he falsely claimed to be the author of a book titled Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse, attributed to Palgrave Macmillan, for which there is no evidence of publication.

He also revised statements regarding personal achievements and charity work. He admitted that a story about him running 600 miles in six days for charity was wrong, stating it had taken 12 days. Investigations found no evidence to support his claim that a severed pig’s head was delivered to his parents’ home.

He revised claims about raising £5m for charity, stating instead that he was part of a fundraising group he cannot name for legal reasons. He accepted that he did not raise £5.5m for charity alone but had been part of a syndicate of about 100 people. He stated he was diagnosed with autism at age three, was nonverbal until age 11, and could not read or write until age 18.

Why It Matters

The resignation of the youngest black professor in Cambridge's history occurs as the university investigates discrepancies in his academic qualifications and honorary appointments. Multiple institutions have clarified that claimed visiting roles did not exist, while previous findings attributed plagiarism allegations to honest error. These developments impact the standing of a high-profile appointment made in 2023 and trigger parallel reviews regarding his fellowship status.