Jason Arday has resigned with immediate effect as professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge and as a fellow of Jesus College after the university opened an investigation into new information about his academic qualifications and honorary appointments.

Arday, who was appointed in 2023 at the age of 37 and became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, said the sustained public scrutiny had imposed too high a personal cost.

“The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love,” he said in his resignation statement.

He said his departure should not be read as a loss of faith in academic research or an acceptance of the allegations surrounding him.

“This is simply the decision of a person who has reached the limit of what it is reasonable to expect a human being to bear,” he said.

The university said its inquiry concerns new information about Arday’s qualifications and honorary roles.

It has also confirmed that separate complaints concerning alleged academic misconduct remain under review under its research-misconduct procedures.

Jesus College is conducting its own process, as Arday’s fellowship was linked to his university post.

The case follows allegations that passages in Arday’s 2015 doctoral thesis closely resembled material in an earlier thesis by another researcher.

Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded the doctorate, previously examined the complaint and concluded that the thesis did not amount to plagiarism.

It said the citation problems it identified were likely to have resulted from “honest and reasonable error”, and Arday’s doctorate remains valid.

Arday has denied plagiarism.

He has acknowledged mistakes in his doctoral work, attributing some to inadequate supervision, but has rejected descriptions of himself as a “liar and fantasist”.

Further scrutiny has focused on claims in his biography and curriculum vitae.

Several institutions have disputed whether he held the academic positions or visiting appointments he described.

Questions have also been raised about some qualifications, charitable fundraising claims, sporting achievements and personal accounts set out in public appearances and profiles.

Those claims have not been established by Cambridge’s current inquiry, and the university has not disclosed the specific new information that prompted it.

Arday’s appointment was widely celebrated as an account of overcoming severe developmental and educational obstacles.

He has said that autism, dyslexia and developmental delay meant he did not speak until the age of 11 and could not read or write until he was 18. His rise also made him a prominent figure in debates over diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, though the university’s current processes concern his individual credentials and research conduct rather than those policies.

Cambridge had initially defended Arday, pointing to the earlier doctoral review and describing attacks on his credibility as a malicious campaign.

It changed course after receiving further information and said it would not comment beyond confirming the inquiry while a fair process was under way.

A memoir by Arday, titled Great and Unfortunate Things, is scheduled for publication this month.

Cambridge and Jesus College will now continue their investigations under their respective procedures.