Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University who made plagiarism allegations against Professor Jason Arday before his death, has been suspended by the university. Cofnas, from Chicago, US, and formerly employed at the University of Cambridge until 2024, said he is under investigation for discriminating against Professor Arday and will "almost certainly" be fired.
Suspension and Investigation
Announcing the news on X, Cofnas said: "I am under investigation by my university for discriminating against Arday." He added in a second post: "I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me."
Ghent University confirmed his suspension, stating that Professor Arday's death last week "should prompt reflection." A spokesperson said: "Ghent University formally notified the staff member concerned of the launch of a preliminary disciplinary investigation. As part of this process, the university is assessing whether there are sufficient grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body for further consideration."
University Statement on Academic Freedom
The Belgian university said that while it supported academic freedom and open academic debate, "that freedom is not unlimited" and goes "hand in hand with responsibility" as it announced it was taking unspecified action regarding Cofnas. In a joint statement, Ghent University rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said: "Ghent University stands for respect for human dignity and opposes discrimination, hatred and racism."
They added: "We attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate, even when views are controversial. However, that freedom is not unlimited. It goes hand in hand with responsibility and may be restricted in order to protect the rights of others. For this reason, the university takes the recent public statements made by a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University regarding this matter very seriously. Ghent University has decided to take appropriate action within its powers and the applicable framework."
Background and Aftermath
Professor Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest black professor in 2023, resigned from his role at the University of Cambridge this month following scrutiny over accusations of plagiarism initially brought forward by Cofnas. He was found dead in Battersea, south London, on Friday. Earlier this week, organisers said more than 30,000 people had attended a vigil for the 41-year-old in Trafalgar Square, central London.
