Nathan Cofnas, the academic who publicly raised plagiarism allegations against the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday, has been suspended by Ghent University in Belgium pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation.
Cofnas, who was reportedly born in 1986 or 1987, is an American postdoctoral researcher in the university’s Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences. He announced the suspension on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, 20 August 2026. He stated he was under investigation “for discriminating against Arday” and added: “I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me.” He noted the decision involved rector Petra De Sutter.
Ghent University confirmed it had formally notified the staff member of a preliminary disciplinary investigation and suspended him “as a precautionary measure” while assessing whether grounds exist to refer the case further. In a joint statement, rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said the university was “shocked” by Arday’s death, which “should prompt reflection.”
They emphasised that Ghent University “stands for respect for human dignity and opposes discrimination, hatred and racism,” values academic freedom and open debate even on controversial views, but stressed that such freedom “is not unlimited” and “goes hand in hand with responsibility and may be restricted in order to protect the rights of others.” The university said it was taking “recent public statements” by the researcher “very seriously” and had decided to take “appropriate action,” without prejudging the outcome.
The development follows the death of Jason Arday, 41, who was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea, south London, on 14 August 2026 and pronounced dead at the scene. Metropolitan Police treated the death as unexpected but not suspicious; a file is being prepared for the coroner, with no official cause publicly confirmed.
Arday had resigned earlier in August from his role as professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge (and related positions) after the university announced an investigation into new information about his academic qualifications and honorary appointments amid widespread scrutiny.
Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor upon his 2023 appointment, faced public allegations beginning in late July 2026. Cofnas published a Substack post claiming he had analysed Arday’s work (including his PhD thesis) with plagiarism detection software and found numerous passages lifted with minimal editing from other sources, such as a 2009 dissertation. Subsequent media reporting examined similarities in published papers, questions about aspects of Arday’s personal biography and claimed achievements (including fundraising and athletic feats), and other inconsistencies.
Late Jason Arday denied intentional plagiarism or being a “liar,” acknowledged errors in early work (attributing some issues in part to autism and learning disabilities and inadequate supervision), and described the scrutiny as an “insidious and relentless” campaign.
Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded his PhD, had previously reviewed related concerns and upheld the degree, describing overlaps as resulting from “honest and reasonable error” within accepted standards at the time; the PhD still stands. Cambridge initially characterised some criticism as a smear campaign before launching its own review.
The accuser, Nathan Cofnas had previously left a role associated with Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 2024 following controversy over his writings, including claims that in a pure meritocracy Black people would hold few high-profile positions outside sports and entertainment. He has described himself as a “race realist.”
The allegations against Arday were not upheld as proven misconduct in any completed formal university process at the time of his death, though questions persisted and generated extensive media coverage and debate. Arday’s family described a “campaign of sustained abuse” and “misinformation.” Vigils and tributes followed his death, and some called for reflection on the handling of the case by institutions and media. Ghent University’s process regarding Cofnas remains ongoing, with the institution stressing confidentiality of disciplinary proceedings.
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