Professor Jason Arday is a social commentator, presenter, and public speaker. He is currently the Professorial Chair of Education (Sociology of Education) at the University of Cambridge, making him the youngest-ever black academic to hold a Professorship at Cambridge and one of the youngest academics ever appointed to a Professorial Chair in Oxbridge’s history.

At three years old Jason was diagnosed with global development delay and autism spectrum disorder. He did not speak until he was eleven years old and could not read or write until he was eighteen. He funded his PhD by working part-time at Sainsbury’s and Boots and full-time as a university lecturer. His professorial appointment in July 2021 at the University of Glasgow made him one of the youngest Professors in the UK. He holds an Honorary Professorship at Durham University and Visiting Professorships at The Ohio State University, Coventry University, University of Glasgow, and Nelson Mandela University.

Jason is a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank, and the British Sociological Association (BSA). He sits on the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) national advisory panel and the NHS Race and Health Observatory Academic Reference Group. Jason is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Outside of academia, he has regularly written, featured, and spoken on issues of race and racism in education and society for The Guardian, Times Higher Education (THE), BBC, ITVNews, CNN, and more.

Jason also speaks regularly at national and international conferences, as well as parliamentary, public and community events where he consults and advises on race, cultural studies, intersectionality, education, and social justice. His passion for tailoring and guitar music has also led to extensive research on the intersection between social justice, politics, class, and race within the context of music.

In his spare time, Jason is a prolific fundraiser; he has raised over five million pounds for eighty national charities, winning numerous prodigious fundraising awards. His fundraising achievements include running 30 marathons in 35 days, 300 miles in 3 days, and 600 miles in 6 days.