A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) professor has been appointed to an independent panel reviewing institutional practices at the University of Cambridge following the death of Professor Jason Arday.
Professor Bertha Ochieng, Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care at DMU, will bring her expertise in equality, inclusion and the experiences of Black academics to the second part of the independent review.
Professor Ochieng is also Chair of the Black Leaders in Higher Education Network Steering Group, a UK-wide network of senior academic and professional services leaders working to champion equity, representation and meaningful inclusion for Black staff and students.
The review was established by the University of Cambridge following the death of Professor Arday in August 2026 and is split into two parts.
Part One will examine the support, interventions and protections available to Professor Arday during the period prior to his death.
Part Two - in which Professor Ochieng will take part - will examine Cambridge's institutional policies, procedures, decision-making and oversight, and how they operated during Professor Arday's recruitment, appointment and subsequent time at the university.
Among the areas being considered are the induction, mentoring and support provided to professorial staff; the university's approach to allegations of research and other misconduct; and the support available to academics experiencing significant public and media scrutiny.
The review will also look at institutional arrangements for recognising and responding to race equality, including the experiences of Black academics, as well as disability, neurodiversity and reasonable adjustments.
Professor Ochieng's academic and research work focuses on improving health and social care through high-quality education and research, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for marginalised and socially disadvantaged populations across the lifespan.
She will sit on the independent panel alongside Professor Rachael Gooberman-Hill, Professor of Health and Anthropology at the University of Bristol and Co-Chair of the UK Committee on Research Integrity; Professor Rachel Brooks, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford; and Margaret Ayers, who has held senior people and organisational development roles at five UK universities.
The panel will support Part Two chair and leading barrister, Jason Beer KC, in examining evidence and developing the review's findings and recommendations, drawing on members' professional expertise and experience.
Setting out his approach, Mr Beer said the review would undertake an "independent, thorough and searching examination" of Cambridge's institutional arrangements and the decisions made in Professor Arday's case.
He said the process would look at some "difficult and potentially uncomfortable questions" and seek to establish whether there are wider institutional changes that should be made.
Mr Beer added that the review would be "rigorous, candid and constructive", with its conclusions based on evidence.
Panel members have been appointed in their personal capacities and the review will operate independently of the University of Cambridge's governing bodies and senior officers.
Posted on Wednesday 4 November 2026