British academic, Jason Arday, who became the University of Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, has been found dead at an address in south London.

He was 41.

The Metropolitan Police say the London Ambulance Service called officers to a property in Battersea at 12 minutes past 3 on Friday afternoon.

Police say a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and that his next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

The force says the case is being investigated by its Central South Command Unit, and that a file will be prepared for the coroner.

No cause of death has been given.

Professor Arday was appointed Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge in 2023, becoming the youngest Black academic to hold a professorship at the university. His research focused on race and inequality in British education.

He had spoken publicly about being diagnosed with autism as a child, and about not speaking until the age of eleven.

Professor Arday resigned from his post last week. That followed media reports alleging he had plagiarised parts of his doctoral thesis and other research, and questioning claims he had made about his own background.

He described the allegations as cruel and denied being a liar.

The university had announced a review of his appointment.