Cambridge professor Jason Arday quits amid plagiarism allegations

Professor Jason Arday quit his high-profile role at the University of Cambridge on Wednesday after it launched an investigation into his “academic qualifications and honorary appointments”, following a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research.

His resignation came hours after Cambridge announced an investigation into Arday, and six days before the scheduled release of his memoir “Great and Unfortunate Things,” by the Simon & Schuster imprint 37 Ink, in the United States.

Questions have also emerged about some of his stated achievements, with Arday and his defenders claiming racism has motivated parts of the scrutiny.

The defence of Arday had rested on the fact that an investigation had already been conducted, and cleared him of plagiarism.