Youngest Black Professor at Cambridge, Who Resigned Over Plagiarism Allegations, Found Dead

Found Dead at Home at Age 41
Stepped Down Following Allegations About His Background and Career

Jason Adey (41), who became the youngest Black professor at the prestigious University of Cambridge in the UK but stepped down amid allegations of plagiarism, was found dead at his home.

According to the British daily The Guardian, police responded to an emergency call on the afternoon of the 14th (local time) and confirmed that Adey had died at his house in Battersea, South London. No signs of foul play have been reported.

Jason Adey (41), the youngest Black professor at the University of Cambridge in the UK, passed away on the 14th (local time). The photo shows him carrying the Olympic torch during the 2012 London Olympics. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Adey, born to Ghanaian immigrant parents, was appointed at the age of 37 as the youngest Black professor at the University of Cambridge in February 2023. His unique upbringing drew public attention. Diagnosed in childhood with autism, developmental delay, and dyslexia, he reportedly began speaking at age 11 and only learned to read and write at 18. This background made headlines. He also obtained his academic degrees later in life. Having worked as a physical education teacher, he completed his Ph.D. at Liverpool John Moores University, then worked at Durham University and the University of Glasgow, focusing his research on neurodiversity and issues of race in education.

However, suspicion of plagiarism in his academic papers arose, and recently the media published a series of reports about various controversies surrounding him.

News outlets questioned whether he had exaggerated his achievements in charitable activities, such as claiming to have run 30 marathons in 35 days and covered 600 miles (about 966 km) in six days to raise 5.5 million pounds (about KRW 10.6 billion). There were also suspicions that his experience with autism and dyslexia might have been fabricated. Thanks to his life story, Adey served as an Olympic torchbearer during the 2012 London Olympics.

Nathan Cofnas, a former research fellow at Cambridge University, raised allegations of plagiarism in Adey’s papers on July 21. Three days later, on July 24, The Times reported, “In Professor Adey’s 2015 paper, multiple passages were found to be identical or similar to a 2009 doctoral thesis by Paula Zworzdiak-Myers.” However, Liverpool John Moores University, where he obtained his doctorate, investigated these allegations and reportedly found no evidence of academic misconduct.

Adey resigned from his professorship on August 5, immediately after Cambridge University announced an investigation into possible misconduct. In a statement, his family claimed, “Since Jason accepted the professorship at Cambridge, he endured more than three years of relentless abuse from people who stopped at nothing to undermine him.”

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