Postdoctoral researcher Nathan Cofnas, who made plagiarism allegations against ex-Cambridge professor Jason Arday before his death, has been suspended by Ghent University.
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Arday had resigned from his position at the University of Cambridge this month following coverage of Cofnas’s plagiarism allegations. The claims were not established through any formal investigation, but prompted questions about Arday’s academic achievements.
He was found dead at his residence in Battersea, south London, on August 14.
Cambridge’s handling of the affair, along with its coverage by the media, came under intense scrutiny after Arday’s death. Cambridge chancellor Chris Smith described the episode as a “racist feeding frenzy”.
Cofnas, described as an “American anti-woke” blogger, has been a postdoctoral researcher in Ghent University’s department of philosophy and moral sciences, according to his website.
On Thursday, Cofnas wrote on X that he was being investigated by his university for discriminating against Arday. In a separate post, he said he had been suspended and expected to be dismissed.
Ghent University confirmed the suspension after saying it had been “shocked” by Arday’s death and that the circumstances should prompt reflection. The university also said it opposed discrimination, hatred and racism.
In a joint statement, rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said the university valued academic freedom and open academic debate, including controversial views, but stressed that such freedom was not unlimited and came with responsibility.
They said academic freedom could be restricted to protect the rights of others and that the university was taking Cofnas’s recent public statements “very seriously”.
The university later said it had formally notified the staff member that a preliminary disciplinary investigation had begun. It is assessing whether there are sufficient grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body.
Cofnas has been suspended as a precaution while the preliminary investigation is under way.
In 2024, Cofnas was also dismissed from his role at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In blog posts, he had written that in a meritocracy, “Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.”
