Cambridge University has launched an independent review into the events leading up to the death of Professor Jason Arday.
The sociologist, who made history as the university’s youngest black professor, was found dead at his home in London last month, days after he resigned amid a plagiarism row.
An inquest into the 41-year-old’s death has been opened and adjourned, and the university has today announced a two-part independent review.
This, it said, will examine the support available to Mr Arday before his death, and the wider processes surrounding his appointment and tenure at Cambridge.
In a video message. vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the weeks since his death had been marked by ‘profound sadness and reflection’ across the university.
She added: ‘We worked very hard to support Professor Arday during an appalling period of external criticism and focus, but given the devastating outcome, we are all asking ourselves whether we could have and should have done more. This review will answer that question.’
The first part will be led by Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for North West England, and is expected to report within three months. He will examine ‘the support, interventions and protections available to Professor Arday during the period prior to his death’.
In a statement, Mr Afzal, who is also the chancellor of the University of Manchester, said: ‘At its heart is a person, a family and a community who have been profoundly affected by Professor Arday’s death.
Professor Jason Arday was found dead at his home in Battersea, south London, last month
‘We must be willing to ask difficult questions, including whether more could and should have been done.’
The second, broader section will examine Cambridge’s recruitment of academics and the support it offers them once in post.
The university had already announced an investigation last month into Mr Arday’s appointment, following a wave of allegations about his academic record. But whether that review would continue became unclear after his death.
He resigned on August 5, insisting that his departure should not be interpreted as accepting ‘the narratives that have surrounded me’.
The controversy centred on claims that sections of his PhD thesis, completed at Liverpool John Moores University, had been plagiarised. Other reports questioned aspects of his personal story and public biography.
Liverpool John Moores University previously cleared him of wrongdoing following an investigation.
The new review appears to go further than the last one was planned to, as it will include a ‘broader [examination of] institutional processes and practice’ at Cambridge.
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