Fundraiser and Vigil Planned Following Death of Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday

A fundraiser in memory of former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has raised more than £30,000 to assist his family with funeral and memorial costs. The fundraising page was established by Windrush activist Sir Patrick Vernon. Additionally, the group Stand Up To Racism has planned a memorial vigil for Monday at 6 p.m. on the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

Prof Arday, who was the youngest black professor at Cambridge in 2023, was declared dead after emergency services responded to reports of an unresponsive man at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday. His family described him as an amazing father, partner, brother, uncle, and son.

The professor had recently resigned following media reports alleging plagiarism in his PhD thesis from Liverpool John Moores University and other research work. Other press reports questioned claims he made about raising £5.5 million for charity and running 600 miles in six days. While an investigation by Liverpool John Moores University cleared him of wrongdoing, the controversy led to intense public scrutiny. Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, a Cambridge professor, stated that Prof Arday felt he could not go on due to the loss of his career and reputation.

University of Cambridge officials defended their handling of the situation, stating that Prof Arday received counseling, security measures, and support both before and after his resignation. Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the death as a tragedy and called for a moment of reflection.

Political reactions to the event varied. Center-left framing characterized the death as the result of a racist witch hunt and a consequence of the professor being used as a pawn in culture wars. Conversely, some Conservative figures argued that academic institutions have questions to answer regarding the appointment of individuals to positions for which they were not qualified.