Ghent suspends Nathan Cofnas
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The gist
Ghent University suspended researcher Nathan Cofnas after he accused late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism. The suspension highlights academic freedom and race-related controversies.
Background
Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, publicly accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism in July 2026. Arday, who died on August 14, had acknowledged citation errors but denied intentional misconduct. Cofnas, who describes himself as a 'race realist' and was previously dismissed from Cambridge in 2024 over his views on race, was suspended by Ghent University as a precautionary measure pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation. The university cited its commitment to 'respect for human dignity and opposition to discrimination'.
How it unfolded
- Jul 2026Cofnas published a detailed analysis on Substack alleging that parts of Arday's 2015 PhD thesis closely matched earlier academic work, including a 2009 dissertation by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers.
- Aug 14, 2026Jason Arday was found dead after weeks of intense scrutiny over the plagiarism allegations.
- Aug 19, 2026Ghent University said it was taking Cofnas's recent public statements about the Arday case 'very seriously' and decided to take 'appropriate action'.
- Aug 20, 2026Cofnas announced on X that he had been suspended by Ghent University, saying 'They will almost certainly fire me.' The university confirmed the suspension as a precautionary measure pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Ghent University said it suspended Cofnas as a precautionary measure pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation, citing its commitment to 'respect for human dignity and opposition to discrimination'.
- Support
- The Spectator argued that Ghent University should not have suspended Cofnas, suggesting that the move sends a message to young academics not to speak up about misconduct, especially if the wrongdoer is a beneficiary of DEI.
- Caution
- The New York Times noted that Cofnas is known for work suggesting that Black people are genetically predisposed to be less intelligent than white people, and that he suggested the school had retaliated against him for political reasons.
Still unverified
Cofnas's claim that the suspension was politically motivated and that he expects to be fired is his own assertion, not confirmed by the university. The specific reasons for the suspension have not been disclosed by Ghent University.