Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has been found dead at a residence in Battersea, south London.

The 41-year-old academic was found unresponsive at the address on Friday, August 14, 2026, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the location by the London Ambulance Service at about 3:12 p.m.

Police said the death is currently being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious.

Arday’s next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from police officers. The case is being investigated by the Met’s Central South Command Unit, with a report expected to be prepared for the coroner.

The London Ambulance Service said it received the emergency call at 3:06 p.m. and dispatched an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and members of its Hazardous Area Response Team.

The service later confirmed that a person had been pronounced dead at the scene.

Police cordoned off the address as investigations continued.

Arday was born in 1985 and grew up in Battersea. He attended schools in the area before pursuing higher education in the field of education.

He obtained his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University and later held academic positions at the University of Roehampton, Durham University and the University of Glasgow, where he became Professor of Sociology of Education in 2021.

He later joined the University of Cambridge, becoming the institution’s youngest-ever Black professor.

Arday resigned from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education on August 5, following accusations of plagiarism. Cambridge had announced an investigation into his appointment and tenure, alongside a wider review of its recruitment process for senior academics.

He resigned shortly after the announcement, citing what he described as an “unrelenting level of public scrutiny”.

His memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, was published in the United States earlier this week and is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on August 27.

Reacting to news of his death, Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice expressed sadness and extended condolences to Arday’s family and friends.