Black professor at centre of Cambridge plagiarism row found dead

What the report says

Dr Jason Arday has been found dead days after resigning from Cambridge University, according to Al Jazeera’s report. The article says his departure followed plagiarism allegations and that the claims were raised by Nathan Coftas, described as a DEI critic. It does not provide further details about the circumstances of Arday’s death or the status of any official investigation.

The report places the dispute in the context of a wider media storm around Arday, a Black professor who had become the subject of intense coverage in the UK. His family is quoted in the article as condemning what they described as a campaign of misinformation, saying British media published 188 articles about him in nine days. That figure is presented as part of the family’s criticism of the coverage, not independently verified in the text.

Arday’s case had drawn attention because it combined allegations of plagiarism, questions about academic reputation, and broader debates over diversity, equity and inclusion in public discourse. Based on the article, the main development is the sudden death of a prominent academic soon after leaving one of the UK’s best-known universities, with the story now centered on the fallout from the allegations and the family’s reaction.