Before the Next Jason: When seniority becomes a weapon against young academics

The death of Professor Jason Arday should make the academic world pause. Arday, who became the youngest Black professor in the history of the University of Cambridge at the age of 37, died at 41 after weeks of intense public scrutiny, controversy and allegations concerning his academic work. He had denied plagiarism allegations, and his family has attributed his death to what it described as sustained abuse and misinformation. The police have said that his death was unexpected but is not being…