// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Academics call for independent inquiry into Jason Arday's Cambridge appointment
Prof Jason Arday said he was not a liar after accusations of plagiarism emerged
A group of academics is calling for an independent investigation into the appointment of Jason Arday, who resigned from his University of Cambridge roles following allegations of plagiarism.
The professor of education has also faced accusations of fabricating or exaggerating elements of his CV. He has defended himself and his work.
Attention has now turned to Cambridge's handling of concerns about Arday, who became its youngest-ever black professor in 2023, as well as his upcoming memoir.
Priyamvada Gopal, professor of postcolonial studies at Cambridge and among those calling for an independent probe, said the university was facing "massive reputational damage" over the affair.
"This is reputational damage that has upset colleagues across disciplines, across the political spectrum," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday.
"I've been quite struck by the number of people who are very upset by what has happened. So I don't think it is an option for Cambridge to just sweep this under the carpet and not take any action at all."
Cambridge announced on Wednesday that it had begun an investigation into "new information" about Arday's academic qualifications and appointments, having already said it was looking into allegations of plagiarism.
But Gopal said the university should not be "marking its own homework", adding that the group of academics of which she is a part had suggested a mix of senior academics at Cambridge and elsewhere to conduct an investigation.
Accusations of plagiarism in Arday's work were first voiced by Nathan Cofnas - a US researcher whose role at a Cambridge college was terminated after backlash against his view that under a true meritocracy black people would "disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment".