Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor

The University of Glasgow is to hold a review into the appointment of a former professor after he resigned from his current role at Cambridge amidst allegations of plagiarism.

Jason Arday quit his high-profile role on Wednesday after the university launched a probe into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments. He has defended himself and his work.

The Jesus College fellow was professor of sociology of education at Glasgow from January 2022 to March 2023 before he became Cambridge's youngest black professor.

The University of Glasgow spokesperson said its principal has commissioned a review of the appointment in order to understand all the facts and "learn lessons".

Arday's resignation from Cambridge followed a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis – completed at Liverpool John Moores University – and other research.

Further questions were asked in the press about the truth of other claims he made, including saying that he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5m for charity.

Earlier on Friday Cambridge confirmed it would continue investigating the circumstances surrounding his "appointment and tenure", adding that findings will feed into a review of the process for appointing senior roles.

Dozens of academics have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the processes around Arday's appointment.

One of the signatories, Prof Priyamvada Gopal, told the Press Association: "We're saying that the resignation is not the end of the story, that there are potential mistakes and missteps made by the university that need to be investigated."

Responding to Cambridge's announcement of a review, the professor of postcolonial studies at Cambridge's English faculty said: "This cannot be a case of the university marking its own homework.

"We are absolutely clear that the investigation needs to be independent, not in the university's own hands, and needs to be completely transparent and accountable to the Cambridge community."

Gopal said the letter asks for the circumstances of the appointment to be investigated given that it was a "very senior appointment" for a professor who was "at a very early stage of his career".

She added there were also questions to be answered over why the "media narrative" focused "so heavily" on his race and his youth and whether the university was involved in any efforts to deter journalists from reporting on the allegations.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police drew criticism over an investigation into a claim of harassment made against a Times Higher Education journalist who emailed Arday with questions some months ago.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told LBC on Thursday that the force "dropped the ball on that one" and the report should have been "screened out earlier as not requiring investigation".

In a statement earlier on Friday, Cambridge said: "As has been widely reported, Jason Arday has resigned from his post at the university with immediate effect.

"Regardless of this, and for clarification, the university will continue to investigate the circumstances around Jason Arday's appointment and tenure. The findings will feed into a review of the process for the appointment of senior academic roles.

"In addition, and as previously stated, the university's Research Policy Committee will review the misconduct in research policy."

Jesus College said previously it was launching its own process in relation to the allegation.

An investigation at Liverpool John Moores University cleared Prof Arday of wrongdoing.

He said in his open resignation letter that the "only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away".

In the letter, addressed to colleagues and published on the Good Law Project's website, he said: "This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge.

"Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.

"It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure."