Nathan Cofnas, academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism accusations, suspended from post
Nathan Cofnas, the American academic who accused the late Cambridge University professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been suspended by Ghent University in Belgium.
Source: South China Morning Post · August 20, 2026 at 6:31 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 21 AUGUST 2026 —
Nathan Cofnas, the American academic who accused the late Cambridge University professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been suspended by Ghent University in Belgium.
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Cofnas, a self-described “race realist” dismissed from a Cambridge post in 2022, said on social media that Ghent had suspended him as it opened a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” that would “almost certainly” end in termination. The university confirmed a suspension without naming him, calling it a “precautionary measure” while it assesses grounds for full disciplinary proceedings.
Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, died last Friday at age 41 after resigning on August 5. He faced allegations of plagiarising parts of his doctoral thesis and exaggerating achievements in his personal life. Diagnosed with autism and developmental difficulties as a child, Arday disputed the accusations and quit, saying he had “reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”
Plagiarism concerns about Arday surfaced years ago but stalled after a reporter withdrew amid legal threats. Cofnas reignited the case last month, claiming to have found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday’s work. The controversy drew widespread coverage in Britain and the US, with right-wing commentators arguing Arday had benefited from diversity policies.
Ghent University said it was “shocked” by Arday’s death and took Cofnas’s public statements “very seriously.” Rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said in a joint statement that academic freedom “is not unlimited,” must be exercised responsibly, and may be restricted to protect others.