Ghent University Suspends U.S. Scholar Over Plagiarism Allegations Against Former Cambridge Professor

Published on 21/08/2026 – 7:46 GMT+2•Updated 7:47

Ghent University has suspended a U.S. scholar who had led allegations of plagiarism against James Arday, the former Cambridge professor of African descent who died last week following his resignation amid the controversy.

Nathan Cofnas, a researcher who describes himself as a “race realist” and who was dismissed from Cambridge two years ago, said on X that he had been suspended by Ghent University and that he expects to be dismissed.

The university cited a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” into a postdoctoral researcher involved in the controversy and placed that individual on temporary suspension as a precautionary measure, without naming the researcher.

Arday, appointed in 2023 as Cambridge’s youngest black professor, was found dead on Friday at the age of 41. He had resigned on 5 August, stating in his letter that he had “reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

Arday faced mounting accusations of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis and embellishment of his personal achievements. A diagnosis of autism and other developmental difficulties in childhood had led him to dispute the solo allegations. The first suggestions of plagiarism surfaced several years earlier but were abandoned after the professor threatened legal action. Last month, Cofnas publicly disclosed what he described as numerous instances of plagiarism, opening a wider debate that drew media attention across Britain and the United States. Commentators on the right seized on the episode to accuse Arday of benefiting unfairly from diversity, equity and inclusion 简 policies.

Ghent University is now “assessing” whether sufficient grounds exist to commence full disciplinary proceedings. In a statement released on Wednesday, the institution expressed shock at Arday’s death and stressed the seriousness of public remarks made by its researcher regarding the former professor. “Ghent University stands for respect for human dignity and opposes discrimination, hatred and racism,” the rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said. “We attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate, even when views are controversial.” They added, “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.”

Source link