Professor Jason Arday

Areas of Interest

Education

Honorary Award

Honorary Doctor of Education

Citation

Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Professor Jason Arday for the award of Honorary Doctor of Education.

Professor Arday is an academic, researcher, philanthropist, and the 2002 Professorial Chair in the Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge.

A cursory glance at Jason’s CV reveals what looks like a fairly standard pathway for an academic high-flyer. But the road to success for Jason has been nothing short of remarkable.

Born to Ghanaian parents, Jason grew up on a council estate in Clapham, South London. At the age of three, he was diagnosed with autism and global development delay. And during his early childhood he was non-verbal, communicating via sign language.

Countless hours of speech therapy helped, yet it was the enduring support of his mother, who used music and lyrics to connect Jason with language, that finally broke through the silence. Something clicked, and at the age of 11, the words began to flow.

Still, Jason’s outlook appeared bleak. Dragged to a careers office by his mother, Jason was told that ‘unpaid volunteer work’ was the best he could hope for. This is perhaps even more pertinent given that Jason was unable to read or write until he was 18 years of age. But undaunted, the pair reached out to Merton College in nearby Morden, which had a place available on its BTEC in Sport and Development.

Thanks to Jason’s fierce determination, the resilience of his mother, and the belief and support of inspirational sports lecturer Sandro Sandri, Jason took his first steps towards what would become a stellar and remarkable academic career.

After completing his BTEC, Jason went on to study for a BA in Education Studies with Physical Education at the University of Surrey. He completed an MA in Education and Pedagogy at St. Mary’s University, London. Then a Master’s in Education Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, where he also completed his PhD.

With a focus on education, race and neurodiversity, Jason quickly established a reputation as a rigorous and highly analytical researcher, and an inspiring lecturer.

Previous academic roles included an appointment as Associate Professor in Sociology and Deputy Executive Dean for People and Culture at Durham University. In 2021, Jason was appointed Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Glasgow, making him one of the youngest professors in the UK.

And in March 2023, he was appointed Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge University – making him the youngest ever person of colour to be awarded a professorship at Cambridge and one of the youngest people ever to be awarded a professorship in Oxbridge’s history at just 37 years of age.

It has been a remarkable journey, and one strewn with many challenges and an unwavering desire to help those most in need. In 2003, at the age of 18, Jason was both moved and disturbed by a visit to a homeless shelter. Compelled to act – to help relieve the suffering of the people he’d seen – he decided to raise money for the homeless charity Shelter. So he set himself a series of ultra-marathon challenges for charity which involved running 30 marathons in 35 days, 300 miles in three days and 600 miles in six days for charity.

With the same tenacity that has come to define his career, Jason successfully completed these mammoth tasks. And inspired by the notion of helping others, he has since gone on to raise more than £5.5 million for 70 different charities over a 20 year period.

He has also undertaken and completed relief work in South America and West Africa with WaterAid installing water points, which provide drinkable and clean water. The highlight of these fundraising achievements culminated in selection to be an Olympic Torch Bearer for the London 2012 Olympics.

He has also been shortlisted three times for The Mirror’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year Award. Additionally, Jason has set up homeless drives across London to develop mobile soup kitchens and cleaning facilities for individuals experiencing homelessness.

After many years of struggle to overcome diverse challenges, Jason continues to receive the full recognition he deserves for his outstanding contribution towards equality and diversity for all in higher education and society more broadly. Jason is Trustee of the British Sociological Association, Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality thinktank and a Patron of the Adult Literacy Trust.

Happily, Jason shares many values with our Anglia Ruskin University. He embodies our principles of inclusion, excellence in education and research, and in widening participation in higher education. And he has helped ARU to promote our shared value of inclusivity through events like our Unlearning Lightbulb talks.

Jason is a firm and long-standing friend of ARU. He is a distinguished academic, philanthropist, and a champion of diversity and inclusion. He will be a powerful role model for all our students and staff, and we are delighted to welcome Jason Arday to our Anglia Ruskin community.

Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Professor Jason Arday for the award of Doctor of Education, honoris causa.