Former Cambridge University Professor Jason Arday Found Dead

Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor at Cambridge University, has been found dead at his home in south London.

Arday, 41, was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea on Friday afternoon, according to reports.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called by the London Ambulance Service at 3.12pm.

“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene,” a police spokesman said. “His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.”

Police said the death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious. Officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit are investigating, with a file to be prepared for the coroner.

Arday made history in March 2023 when he took up a professorship at Cambridge, becoming the university’s youngest Black professor.

His death comes just days after Cambridge announced an investigation into his appointment and his tenure at the university.

Arday resigned within hours of the announcement, citing what he described as an “unrelenting level of public scrutiny”.

Born on May 9, 1985, to Ghanaian parents, Arday was the third of four brothers and grew up in Clapham, south London.

His career was rooted in academia. He began working at Leeds Beckett University in 2014 as a PE specialist while completing his PhD, before going on to hold academic positions at a number of institutions.

His appointment at Cambridge marked the latest stage of a career that had seen him become a prominent voice on race, education and social inequality.