How Jason Arday overcame autism to become Cambridge’s youngest black professor
By Paulette Mboga, August 15, 2026Jason Arday became the youngest Black professor at the University of Cambridge at the age of 37 in 2023, a milestone that drew attention to his story of overcoming challenges linked to autism, dyslexia and developmental delays.
Arday said he was non-verbal until he was 11 and did not learn to read and write until he was 18.
His journey from childhood difficulties to one of the world’s leading universities became a major part of his public story. In his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, Arday describes how he grew up facing difficulties with speech, learning and development before eventually building an academic career.
A difficult start in childhood
Arday has written that he was unable to speak during much of his childhood and faced serious delays in learning. He said his autism and dyslexia affected his early years and that he remained unable to read and write until his late teens.
Arday recalled that, as he approached the age of 12, the local council was considering ending his speech therapy because he had made little progress. His account describes a childhood in which gaining basic communication skills took years and required continued support.
However, accounts from some of his former schoolmates have given rise to different memories of his childhood. Two former schoolmates said they remembered Arday speaking while at primary school, with one describing him as a child who enjoyed making jokes, singing songs and copying different accents.
From learning difficulties to Cambridge
Despite the challenges he has described, Arday continued with his education and eventually built a career as a sociologist. His rise reached a major point in 2023 when he joined Cambridge as a professor at 37, making him the youngest Black professor in the university’s history.
Arday later described the achievement as something he had never expected as a child. In a letter announcing his resignation, he wrote that becoming a Cambridge professor was something he “could scarcely have imagined” as an autistic child who was “unable to speak until I was 11 years old”.
His appointment brought renewed attention to his personal journey and the barriers he said he had overcome. His memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, also focuses on that journey and was released in the United States this week, with its UK publication scheduled for August 27, 2026.
Questions emerge over his academic work
Arday’s achievements later came under scrutiny after questions were raised about his academic qualifications and claims about parts of his past. Nathan Cofnas, a former Cambridge philosophy researcher, publicly raised concerns about his qualifications and academic work.
Cambridge initially stood by Arday, noting that plagiarism allegations had previously been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, where he earned his doctorate. The university later opened an investigation after receiving what it described as “new information” about his qualifications and honorary appointments.
Arday announced his resignation after the university began the inquiry. Cambridge said it would not comment further while the investigation was ongoing. Simon & Schuster has also confirmed that his memoir will be released as planned.
Arday was found dead at his home in Battersea, south London, on Friday, August 14, 2026, just days after resigning from his prestigious Cambridge position amid intense scrutiny over plagiarism accusations and questions surrounding his academic work and career.