Academics call for independent inquiry into Jason Arday's Cambridge appointment

Academics call for independent inquiry into Jason Arday's Cambridge appointment A group of scholars is urging an autarkic probe into the appointment of Professor Jason Arday, who stepped down from his University of Cambridge roles amid allegations of plagiarism. The former holder of the education faculty position has also faced claims that he fabricated or exaggerated parts of his curriculum vitae, a charge he denies. Attention has shifted to how Cambridge handled concerns about Arday, who in 2023 became the institution’s youngest‑ever Black professor. Priyamvada Gopal, professor of postcolonial studies at Cambridge and one of the academics demanding an autarkic inquiry, said the university was suffering “massive reputational damage” over the matter. “This is reputational harm that has upset colleagues crossed disciplines, crossed the governmental spectrum,” she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme connected Friday. “I've been rather struck by the fig of radical who are precise upset by what has happened. So I don't deliberation it is an enactment for Cambridge to conscionable expanse this nether the carpet and not instrumentality immoderate enactment astatine all.” Cambridge announced connected Thursday that it had begun an probe into “new information” about Arday’s world qualifications and appointments, having already said it was looking into allegations of plagiarism. Gopal argued that the institution should not be “marking its ain homework,” noting that the collective of academics she belongs to had proposed a mix of senior scholars from Cambridge and elsewhere to conduct an investigation. Accusations of plagiarism in Arday’s work were first raised by Nathan Cofnas, a US researcher whose affiliation with a Cambridge college was terminated after backlash to his claim that, under a current meritocracy, Black individuals would “disappear from astir each high-profile positions extracurricular of sports and entertainment.” He pointed out that plagiarism‑detection software had identified several sections of Arday’s PhD dissertation that were copied verbatim or lightly rephrased from earlier scholarly works by other authors. Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), which awarded Arday’s PhD, said it had investigated the plagiarism allegations the previous year and dismissed them, describing them as likely the result of “honest and tenable error.” Cofnas also noted that a retired professor had previously expressed concerns about Arday’s later journal articles, prompting two journals to issue correction notes and raising doubts about some of his claimed achievements, such as long‑distance marathon running and fundraising millions for charity. Several institutions listed on Arday’s CV as places where he held academic roles have since denied that he ever occupied those positions. The controversy has drawn a range of opinions, including within academia, about whether Arday has been subjected to unfair scrutiny because of his race. Arday has acknowledged errors in his work but denied plagiarism, attributing the mistakes to his autism and a lack of sufficient supervision early in his academic career. He also denied lying about his accomplishments. He stated that his decision to step down should not “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that person surrounded me,” adding that he had previously described those narratives as “racially motivated.” Gopal said universities were “being targeted successful peculiar by a lazy and mendacious part betwixt world excellence and diverseness and equality connected campus” which was “really portion of civilization wars alternatively than immoderate portion of assemblage life.” She and her colleagues found it “unusual” that Arday had been appointed to a “very senior, precise prestigious” role early in his career and that he had been promoted in the media with “frankly a spot of a people connected his back.” Gopal further said any review should examine “whether the assemblage was progressive successful immoderate mode oregon immoderate level with efforts to deter journalists from reporting connected the allegations.” This followed revelations that the Metropolitan Police had investigated Times Higher Education journalist Jack Grove over a harassment complaint after he contacted Arday about plagiarism allegations the previous year. The Telegraph also reported that Arday had engaged the law firm Carter‑Ruck to send a letter to THE suggesting that the “apparent attack” on Arday might be “racially motivated.” The Met closed the case, and Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for the investigation, telling LBC on Thursday that the complaint ought to have been “screened retired earlier connected arsenic not requiring investigation.” The BBC has approached the University of Cambridge and LJMU for comment.