Full Breakdown
Cambridge Professor Faces Plagiarism Claims and Alleged Resume Falsifications
8/5/2026, 10:28:02 PM
Allegations and Institutional Responses
Jason Arday, a sociology of education professor at the University of Cambridge, has been accused of lifting more than 100 passages from the doctoral dissertation of Brunel University student Paula Zwozdiak-Myers. The allegations were first detailed in a Substack article by Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, and later highlighted by The Telegraph.
Arday’s professional biography also listed three external appointments that the named institutions say do not exist.
The University of Cambridge said the plagiarism complaints were forwarded to Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday’s PhD and concluded that he had not plagiarised.
Background on Jason Arday
Arday became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor at age 37, drawing media attention for his ascent and for publicly sharing that he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and was non-verbal until age 11. His profile has been celebrated for overcoming adversity and achieving elite academic status.
Data and Statistics
- Over 100 passages in Arday’s dissertation match text from Zwozdiak-Myers’s thesis.
- Three external affiliations were claimed: a visiting professorship at Ohio State University’s DEI office, a visiting professorship at the University of Glasgow’s School of Education, and an honorary professorship in Durham University’s Department of Sociology.
- Liverpool John Moores University, the awarding institution for Arday’s PhD, reported no plagiarism after its review.
Verbatim Quote
- “To clarify, there have been multiple thorough investigations across several institutions as a result of the allegations, and immense scrutiny, including with an academic misconduct panel who concluded that there was no plagiarism or academic misconduct,” — Jason Arday, Cambridge professor “To clarify, there have been multiple thorough investigations across several institutions as a result of the allegations, and immense scrutiny, including with an academic misconduct panel who concluded that there was no plagiarism or academic misconduct,” — Jason Arday, of cambridge professor.
