The rise and fall of Prof Jason Arday has been one of the most dramatic in the history of British academia. Diagnosed as autistic as a child, he says he was non-verbal until he was 11 and only learned to read and write at the age of 18. Less than 20 years later he was appointed the youngest black professor in Cambridge University’s history.
His resignation on Wednesday followed two weeks of intense scrutiny. He has been accused of plagiarism in his academic work and questions have been raised about a long line of claims about his backstory, from endurance running, footballing exploits and charity fundraising to academic positions, qualifications and authorship.
