University suspends academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism

Belgium’s Ghent University has suspended Nathan Cofnas, the controversial scholar whose blog accusing Jason Arday of plagiarism led to widespread public scrutiny of the late Cambridge professor’s academic record and personal achievements.

The university said in a statement that it has launched “a preliminary disciplinary investigation” into Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher in its department of philosophy and moral sciences. 

“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,” it said. 

“Pending this preliminary investigation, Ghent University has suspended the staff member as a precautionary measure. The university cannot comment further on the specific details of the disciplinary case or the underlying arguments, in order to safeguard the confidentiality of the personnel file and the disciplinary proceedings.”

Cofnas, a self-described “race realist”, accused Arday of plagiarising parts of his PhD thesis at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in July. 

Arday resigned from the university on 5 August. He denied the plagiarism allegations but acknowledged errors in his work. LJMU investigated and concluded that his PhD should stand. 

The former sociology professor was later found dead in his London apartment on 14 August. The cause of his death is unknown. Police have said it is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious.  

Cofnas acknowledged that he was suspended from the university on X. “They will almost certainly fire me,” he said. “The decision was made by rector Petra De Sutter, a former leader of the Green Party.” 

The suspension comes after Ghent University said earlier this week that it had “received many enquiries” about Cofnas’ appointment following the death of Arday. 

“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,” it said in its earlier statement. 

“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.”

In March, more than 300 staff and students wrote an open letter to the university, questioning the appointment of Cofnas and accused Ghent of violating its code of conduct. 

At the time, the university defended the decision, saying that Cofnas “was selected as the most suitable candidate following a procedurally correct and duly conducted selection process”. 

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com