Questions mount over Cambridge professor Jason Arday’s life and career

Jason Arday became the youngest black professor at the University of Cambridge at the age of 37 in 2023.

PHOTO: ANSELM EBULUE/NYTIMES

Jennifer Schuessler and Alexandra Alter

Published Aug 06, 2026, 09:10 AM

Updated Aug 06, 2026, 09:20 AM

LONDON - For Jason Arday, it has been a breathtaking climb to the top of the ivory tower.

Raised in South London by Ghanaian immigrant parents, Arday says he was diagnosed with autism at age three, was non-verbal until he was nearly 12 and could not read or write until he was 18.

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