Ghent University has decided to retain Nathan Cofnas in his research position while imposing significant restrictions on him for three months. The American academic, who initiated the plagiarism accusations against Jason Arday before the former Cambridge professor's death, will no longer be able to teach during this period and will have to work exclusively remotely. His research activities are also strictly regulated, while the disciplinary proceedings against him continue.
Three months without teaching and away from campus
Nathan Cofnas was suspended on August 20 by Ghent University in Belgium, where he holds a postdoctoral research position in the Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences. This temporary suspension followed the opening of a preliminary disciplinary investigation. The university has now decided to lift the suspension, but not to allow the American academic to resume all of his activities as normal. For three months, Nathan Cofnas will be required to work remotely. He is also prohibited from teaching during this period. A third restriction directly concerns his academic work: his research must remain strictly limited to the topics for which he was recruited by Ghent University.
Nathan Cofnas retains his research position
Despite these measures, Nathan Cofnas has not been dismissed. He will be able to continue his research project, " The Future of Liberalism ," to which he says he dedicates 60% of his working time, until the end of his one-year postdoctoral contract. After several days during which his professional future seemed uncertain, the researcher welcomed the decision. "I am grateful to Rector Petra De Sutter for allowing me to remain at Ghent University ," he stated. However, keeping Nathan Cofnas in his position does not close the case. The preliminary disciplinary investigation initiated by the university is ongoing. The institution must determine whether there are grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body and, potentially, to impose further measures.
The man who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism
Nathan Cofnas found himself at the center of an international controversy after publicly accusing Jason Arday of plagiarizing several passages of his academic work, particularly in his doctoral thesis. The controversy deeply shook Jason Arday's career. On August 5, the professor finally resigned from the University of Cambridge , amidst several investigations into his career and academic work. Jason Arday denied having intentionally committed acts of plagiarism. His resignation, he insisted, did not constitute an admission of guilt. Nine days after leaving Cambridge, Jason Arday was found dead in London at the age of 41. British police indicated that his death was considered unexpected but not suspicious.
A petition following the death of Jason Arday
The professor's death significantly amplified the controversy. A petition demanding an investigation into the media coverage of Jason Arday garnered over 31,000 signatures. The Good Law Project, which initiated the campaign, questioned the treatment the academic received before his death. However, authorities have not established any link between the public controversy surrounding Jason Arday and the circumstances of his death. Following Jason Arday's death, Ghent University opened proceedings against Nathan Cofnas. He claimed to be the subject of an investigation into possible discrimination against Jason Arday.
Ghent is investigating Cofnas's behavior
The case goes beyond the accusations leveled against the British professor. The university is also examining the compatibility between some of Cofnas's work and positions and the scope of the position for which he was recruited. Nathan Cofnas has been a controversial figure in academia for several years. He defines himself, in particular, as a proponent of "race realism" and has published texts devoted to racial differences and the heritability of intelligence. Some of his positions have been denounced as racist, a label he rejects. In 2024, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, ended its association with the institution after several particularly controversial articles were published on its blog.
The United States had taken a stand
Nathan Cofnas's initial suspension quickly gave the affair a diplomatic dimension. The United States, through its ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, criticized Ghent University. The American diplomat publicly defended Cofnas, portraying him as a whistleblower who had exposed academic fraud. He also contacted the rector of Ghent University, Petra De Sutter. Nathan Cofnas himself met with Bill White and attributed a role to him in the development of his situation. "I never imagined that someone like him would be interested in the fate of a postdoctoral researcher ," he explained.
The disciplinary investigation remains open
Ghent's decision thus allows Nathan Cofnas to keep his job, though not immediately to return to normal working conditions. For three months, he will remain away from campus, unable to teach, and must limit his research to the specific scope of his contract. Meanwhile, the disciplinary proceedings continue. Nathan Cofnas remains a researcher at Ghent University, but his future at the institution still depends on the outcome of the investigation against him.
