Nathan Cofnas suspended by Ghent University following Jason Arday plagiarism allegations

Nathan Cofnas, who publicly exposed plagiarism allegations involving late Cambridge professor Jason Arday, has been suspended by Ghent University, with Cofnas saying he expects to be fired. Cofnas announced his suspension on X, writing: “I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me.” He said the suspension was ordered by Ghent University rector Petra De Sutter, a former Green Party leader. The move comes after Cofnas published a detailed analysis of Arday's academic work in July, alleging that parts of the professor's 2015 PhD thesis closely matched earlier academic material. His post, published on Substack, examined passages that he said were similar or identical to work by other scholars, including a 2009 dissertation by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers. Arday had acknowledged citation errors but denied intentional academic misconduct. He attributed problems with his doctoral work to inadequate supervision and his autism. The allegations prompted wider scrutiny of Arday's academic record. Cambridge University later announced an investigation into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments, after which Arday resigned. Arday was subsequently found dead on August 14.

Ghent University said on August 19 that it was taking Cofnas's recent public statements about the Arday case “very seriously”. The university said it had decided to take “appropriate action within its powers and the applicable framework”, but did not provide details about what Cofnas was accused of doing. It also said it did not want to prejudge the outcome of the matter and would respect the confidentiality of the personnel process. Cofnas joined Ghent University as a postdoctoral researcher in 2026. His appointment had already attracted criticism from some staff and students over his views on hereditarianism and differences between groups.