Jason Arday Professor Who Accused Late Cambridge Academic of Plagiarism Suspended from University

Published August 21, 2026 6:15 AM PDT

The professor who accused former Cambridge academic Jason Arday of plagiarism before he quit his job and was found dead is now in hot water -- he’s been suspended from his job at a Belgian university.

Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher for Ghent University, revealed the news Thursday on X ... adding he believes he will be fired.

In a separate tweet, he said he was under investigation by the university "for discriminating against Arday."

Ghent confirmed they have suspended a staff member, adding ... "The university is assessing whether there are sufficient grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body for further consideration."

The university additionally noted, "The death of Professor Arday should prompt reflection. We hope that lessons will be learnt from what has happened regarding the way we treat one another both within and outside the academic world, particularly when people become the subject of public controversy."

ICYMI, Cofnas published a Substack article titled "DEI fraud and cover-up at Cambridge," in which he accused Arday of copying the 2009 thesis of Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, who studied at Brunel University. Cofnas ran Arday's thesis through the plagiarism-detection tool "Copyleaks" ... and said his work had striking similarities to over 100 passages by Zwozdiak-Myers.

He went on to claim Cambridge only hired Arday -- the youngest black professor at the English institution -- "to advance the cause of racial diversity."

Arday quit his job at Cambridge after the Substack was published -- which led to people questioning his work and resume -- and was found dead at a South London residence last week. His cause of death has not been released.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.