Nathan Cofnas, academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism accusations, suspended from post

A Belgian university on Thursday suspended a US academic who spearheaded accusations of plagiarism against Jason Arday, the black ex-Cambridge professor found dead last week after resigning over the scandal.

Researcher Nathan Cofnas – a self-defined “race realist” who was himself sacked from his Cambridge post two years ago – posted on social media: “I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me.”

Without naming Cofnas, the University of Ghent said in a statement it had launched a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” against a postdoctoral researcher embroiled in the furore, suspending him “as a precautionary measure”.

Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest-ever black professor when he was appointed in 2023, was found dead Friday aged 41. He was facing mounting accusations he had plagiarised parts of his doctoral thesis and exaggerated some of his personal life achievements.

Diagnosed with autism and other developmental difficulties as a child, Arday had disputed the allegations against him. But he quit on August 5, writing in his resignation letter that he had “reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure”.

Plagiarism concerns surrounding Arday first surfaced several years ago but went nowhere at the time, with one reporter backing down from investigating further after the professor threatened legal action.